The event will be hosted by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and played in the Xinzhuang and Tianmu Stadiums in the capital starting tomorrow and lasting until Sunday (November 11).

The "Samurai Japan" and Chinese Taipei, ranked as the top two national baseball teams in Asia, will play each other in a three match series with each contest to be broadcast live during prime time hours in Japan, on TV Asahi and TBS, and nationally in Chinese Taipei.

The introduction of the Baseball Challenge comes in an attempt to reinforce the sports stronghold in the region and generate more fan interest following the conclusion of many league championships.

Samurai Japan will travel to hosts Chinese Taipei full of confidence after securing the last five Asian Baseball Championships



It will also serve as an assessment and development tool for the two teams and their coaches as they prepare for the 2014 Asian Cup in Incheon next September.

"We are seeing competitions, like the 2013 Baseball Challenge, continue to grow in terms of their reach, fan interest and market value," said WBSC Co-President, Riccardo Fraccari.

"We expect this trend to continue as international baseball and softball competitions become an increasingly attractive product, as world sport moves in this direction and as the athletes and fans deepen their identification with national teams.

"To ensure we are best positioned for this evolution and to further drive growth, we have already announced the introduction of another flagship event, the Premiere 12, which will be launched in Japan in 2015 and bring together 12 of the top national baseball teams in the world."

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