Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star pitcher Kuo Hung-chih has been listed Taiwan's preliminary 45-man roster for the Asian Games, which was made public by Taiwan's baseball association Wednesday.
The left-hander headlined a roster dominated by players performing in the United States at the major league and minor league levels.
The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) is still unsure, however, if Kuo will be able to join the team in Guangzhou, China in November.
It will not be easy for the Dodgers to make Kuo available for the tournament because of his injury-prone past, said national team manager Yeh Chih-hsien.
The 29-year-old Kuo is enjoying the best season of his six-year Major League Baseball career. As the Dodgers' main set-up man, he has a 3-1 record with three saves and a 1.41 ERA in 36 appearances.
The possibility of being rejected by the Dodgers or other clubs to release Taiwanese players for the Asian Games has not stopped the CTBA from trying to put together a strong roster.
"We're still planning to recruit the best players available for the Asian Games, " Yeh said.
Twenty of the 45 players on the roster are currently playing in foreign leagues. Brother Elephants slugger Peng Cheng-min is among 18 players from the Taiwan's professional league, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, while seven are amateurs.
Taiwan's recruiting strategy reflects its determination to defend its Asian Games title. It has pursued every Taiwanese player performing at a Class A-Advanced League level or higher, with the exceptions of Washington Nationals pitcher Wang Chien-ming and one other minor leaguer.
The CTBA is scheduled to name its 24-player roster to participate in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup tournament, which will be played in Taiwan in October, before deciding the final roster for the Asian Games.
Taiwan won its first baseball gold at the Asian games in Doha, Qatar in 2006. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls