The San Francisco Giants faced off against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park on May 4 as part of the team’s Taiwanese Heritage Night event.

Wu Chih-hsiang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in San Francisco, took to the field in a Giants jersey to throw the ceremonial first pitch. TECO is the de facto embassy of Taiwan in the United States.

The Giants have struggled in games against the Padres for the past five years, posting a 30–44 record in wins and losses against them as of May 4. However, on Taiwanese Heritage Night, the Giants defeated the Padres 3–2.

The state of California designates the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In recognition of the occasion, the Giants dedicated their May 4 game to celebrating Taiwanese culture.

Wu, a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taiwan, once played on the university’s Department of Diplomacy baseball team. After graduation, he spent decades traveling between Europe and the United States in service of Taiwan’s diplomacy.

Before taking the mound, Wu calmly removed his suit jacket and changed into a Giants jersey; he displayed the poise of a seasoned veteran as he threw the opening pitch.

The game and cultural celebration drew large crowds of baseball fans and community members from both Taiwan and the United States. Several of them shared their thoughts about the event with The Epoch Times.

Jack Song is president of the San Francisco Film Commission, a city government function. He was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States at age 8.

“I have a great pride being a Taiwanese American,” Song said. “It’s great to reconnect with TECO, and I want to help amplify the Taiwanese voice here in San Francisco and beyond.”

Yu-Hsin Su, a clarinet player with the San Francisco Symphony, was born in Taipei and studied music in Taiwan before coming to the United States at age 15. After earning a master’s degree in instrumental performance, she joined the symphony orchestra.

“Baseball is a shared language between Taiwan and the United States,” Su said. “I’m very happy that American fans can learn more about Taiwanese culture through an event like this.”

Mark Chandler, director of international trade and commerce for the city of San Francisco and a longtime Giants fan, praised the event.

“It’s fantastic that the Giants recognize the importance of the Taiwanese community in the city and our region,” he said.

Chandler said he has been a Giants fan since childhood and is also a fan of Taiwan, and he has visited Taiwan many times. He said Taiwan has a strong baseball tradition and said he hopes to see Taiwanese professional players participate in future events.

He also talked about the exchanges between San Francisco and Taiwan in technology, trade, culture, and art, and he expressed a hope that such exchanges will continue to strengthen ties between the two sides.

Peter Kuo, former vice chairman of the California Republican Party, was also born in Taiwan and has loved baseball since childhood. He attended the game wearing a jacket featured in the movie “Top Gun,” worn by Tom Cruise and displaying the flags of Japan and Taiwan on the back. During production of the sequel, the patches were temporarily altered amid pressure related to the Chinese communist regime.

Kuo said that the Chinese Communist Party has long bullied Taiwan on the international stage. He was excited to see a Taiwanese diplomat invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

He added that he hopes the game marks a turning point and that Taiwan will have more opportunities in the future to showcase its culture to the world.

Sophia Chuang, director of Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Center in San Francisco, said the event featured folk dance performances by the Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors, giving baseball fans a chance to experience vibrant Taiwanese cultural traditions.

The organizers also invited members of the Taiwanese student association from a local high school to assist with organizing the event.

Taiwanese Overseas Community Affairs Commissioner Nancy Yang said this was the first baseball game in the region to invite a Taiwanese diplomat to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

“I’m thrilled that Taiwan has this opportunity to be seen by the world,” Yang said.

Sylvia Lee, director for tourism affairs at the TECO in San Francisco, noted that baseball is considered Taiwan’s national sport and is closely tied to outdoor recreation and tourism.

During the game, organizers showed tourism videos introducing Taiwan to fans in attendance. Lee hopes that the videos will inspire more Americans to visit the island.

Huang Shih-yun, president of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, said it was encouraging to see Taiwanese diplomats working around the world to help international communities better understand Taiwan’s culture, values, and people.

She also noted that event organizers specially prepared Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup for fans attending the game.

Lin Wu-Hsing, a captain for EVA Air and former player for a local baseball team in Taiwan, was a teammate of Director General Wu during their college years.

Lin said he is an avid baseball fan who has attended games for all 30 Major League Baseball teams in the United States. After hearing that Wu would throw the ceremonial first pitch, he traveled all the way from Taiwan to support his former teammate.

He added that he was proud that his company helped sponsor and participate in the event.