"I am really glad I will finally have a chance to pitch in front of my countrymen in Taiwan, including my fans, my family and my high school coaches, after all these years," said Kuo on Monday night in a teleconference with local media. Signed by the Dodgers in 1999 after graduating from high school, Kuo has represented the nation several times in international competitions since then but has never pitched as a pro in Taiwan.

"I am well prepared and totally excited about playing with so many of my Taiwan fans watching," he added. Kuo noted that he is especially looking forward to pitching against Taiwan slugger Chen Chin-feng, a former Dodger and the first Taiwanese player to play in Major League Baseball. Asked about facing the most famous batter in Taiwan, Kuo joked that he plans to walk Chen first before luring him to steal second base and throwing him out.

The lefty also disclosed that his teammates including first baseman James Loney and Manny Ramirez were asking him for the inside dope on their rivals in the upcoming series against local CPBL players. "They absolutely do not want to lose face in the games in Taiwan," he noted. Hu added that many teammates had also asked him about where to visit and eat in Taipei. He hopes that he will be able to show them around the city when they arrive in Taipei for the games. Since both Hu and Kuo were born in the southern city of Tainan, they also expressed their wish to introduce some famous snacks of the city that is dubbed the "city of delicacies."