Lee breaks Chang's MLB hits record for players born in Taiwan

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH – Hao-Yu Lee was a budding high school player in Taiwan and a potential international prospect for MLB teams when he was invited to a Nike camp there. One of the featured speakers was Taiwanese Major Leaguer Yu Chang, who had just broken in with Cleveland.

“I was telling him, ‘Five years from now, I will come see you,’” Lee said.

Fast forward five years, and Lee is in the big leagues. Chang returned to Taiwan a couple years ago and is a star in the CPBL; he played a key role for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year. But even on the other side of the globe, Lee still finds himself competing with him.

With a 3-for-3, two-walk game in the Tigers’ 8-5 win over the Pirates at PNC Park on Monday, Lee reached 57 hits for the season, eclipsing Chang’s single-season record for a Taiwanese-born MLB player. Chang had 54 hits for Cleveland in 2021, when he played in 89 games at the infield corners.

The record was big news in Taiwan, so Lee was quickly made aware of it.

“The internet always points it out,” Lee said.

That said, it wasn’t a major goal for Lee, who made his MLB debut with the Tigers in April and has found a secure role in the infield this summer as a second and third baseman and platoon bat against left-handed pitching.

“I'm just trying to compete,” he said. “My goal is not to be the best Taiwanese player. I'm trying to be a great player in America.”

At his pace, Lee could have several more records soon enough. He’s one of 11 Taiwanese-born players to record a hit in MLB, but is already second on the all-time hit list, nearly halfway to Chang’s career mark of 121. That will take some time, but Lee is on track to threaten more of Chang’s single-season records for a Taiwanese player, including home runs (9), RBIs (39) and runs (32).

Lee entered Wednesday batting .274 with 11 doubles, six homers and 30 RBIs. Much of that production has come over the past month and a half; he’s batting .306 since June 29 with six doubles, three homers, 19 RBIs and an .826 OPS, while cutting down on his strikeout rate.

Monday showed a maturing approach from Lee, who made an impression the last couple Spring Trainings with a big swing and big exit velocities. His three singles were all ground balls, including an opposite-field, two-out single plating a run as part of a two-run opening inning. He drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to drive in a run.

Lee saw 14 pitches Monday from four different Pirates pitchers, including former Tigers closer Gregory Soto. He had one swing-and-miss all game.

Taiwan has been known traditionally as more of a pitching pipeline, including former Tigers reliever Fu-Te Ni. Lee’s breakout is a reminder that the bats might be coming around.

“Of course, being able to extend the [hits] record, the more, the better,” Lee said. “But this is part of baseball.”

As for toppling Chang’s mark after meeting him years ago, Lee joked, “My bad.”