Wei-Chung Yu "Hazuremon" clinches ePremier12 Chinese Taipei Finals berth

After two days of exciting and fierce competition, the long-time POWER PROS player and CTBC Brothers fan Hazuremon defeated SheShe in the final round of the CTBC Brothers POWER PROS Festival, earning the right to advance to the ePremier12 Chinese Taipei Finals in September, which will be staged in partnership with the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and the Taiwan Little League Baseball Association.

The CTBC Brothers POWER PROS Festival is organized in partnership with CTBC Brothers Baseball Club and Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (KONAMI). It is the first time for the world-known video game developer and publisher to work with a CPBL club.

“It was unbelievable, I am so excited to win this one and advance to the Chinese Taipei Finals,” said Hazuremon after his walk-off 1-0 win over SheShe in the final game of the Festival. “Skill wise I think I and three other finalists are at the same levels. I think it was important that I got to adjust to the atmosphere smoothly and of course batting at the bottom half certainly brings some advantages too.

"Now I am going to focus on the ePremier12 Chinese Taipei Finals and I want to play the ePremier12 Championship Game in the Tokyo Dome.”

SheShe, who is from Kaohsiung City, offered his congratulations to Hazuremon with a firm handshake after the game. “He (Hazuremon) played really well, and I think his calmness helped him win the game.

“This is my fourth second-place finish," he said laughing. "And I will play the Chinese Taipei eBaseball™ Cup in July and try to advance to the Chinese Taipei Finals too."

Hazuremon also congratulated SheShe for his achievement in the Festival. “He played very well and I think he will be the elite player for the next decade and beyond,” said Hazuremon, who as the highest-ranking player from Chinese Taipei in last year’s WBSC eBaseball™ Series 2023, was invited to throw out the ceremonial pitch for the CTBC Brothers vs. TSG Hawks games on Sunday. 

“I played the KONAMI’s POWER PROS for almost 30 years, and I urge parents to encourage their children to play the games. It is good for their minds and a very good way to develop the interest to sports,” said Hazuremon before throwing out the ceremonial pitch. 

SheShe also gave praise to the game. “In my opinion this (WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS) is the best eSport game there is today. It is the closest to the real baseball game and smoothest in running among all the eSport games, plus it is definitely not time consuming.

“It’s good that now through the eBaseball™ platform, we get to play the games and meet other peers differently but also familiarly, after all, it is the game of baseball that we all love.”

Two other players who did not make it to the finals also shared their experiences on playing the games. “It’s a great game, and I think it is good for all ages,” said Taipei-based DoubleBass, who lost to Hazuremon with the score of 1-0 in the first game on Sunday. “The fact that we, in our late 40s, are able to play on the international stage like what we did last year (in Singapore) can be a great encouragement to players of all ages.” 

CMWANG, who is also from Taipei and also played in the Olympic Esports Week last year in Singapore, also pointed out the key to winning the games in the key stages. “We have been playing against each other for hundreds and hundreds of games, but the key is how you are able to adapt to the environment, atmosphere and the surroundings at the moment. It is a great game.”