Li Hao-Yu Makes MLB Debut: First Pinch-Hit, First Start at Second Base and Historic Moments for Taiwan’s Power Hitter

Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu made his Major League Baseball debut on Friday, April 17, 2026, going 0-for-3 as the Detroit Tigers’ starting third baseman against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The 23-year-old from New Taipei City became the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues and the seventh position player from Taiwan to do so. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with left hip/abdominal inflammation.

Lee started at third base and batted eighth in the Tigers’ lineup. He went hitless in three at-bats, striking out once and grounding out twice, as Detroit ultimately lost the game 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak.

Prior to the game, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch indicated Lee would likely see playing time due to the team’s upcoming schedule against left-handed pitchers. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to be against lefties, so he’s likely to be in and around those games,” Hinch said, as quoted by the Detroit Free Press.

Lee had spent two seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system after signing as an international free agent in 2021 before being traded to the Tigers in 2023. He worked his way through Detroit’s organization, reaching Triple-A Toledo for the first time last season.

The most recent Taiwanese player to reach MLB before Lee was Cheng Tsung-che, who was promoted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in April 2025. Lee’s debut marked another milestone in the growing presence of Taiwanese players in North American professional baseball.