WikiBaseball is a Taiwanese baseball website. It was created on April 14, 2005.
Because many people browse this website. United Daily News, Formosa TV and some Taiwan introduce this website to Taiwanese people on March 2006. After several month, Wikibaseball teamed up with Chinese Taipei Baseball Association to digitize their relic. In addition, two Wikibaseball contributors contributed to Liberty Times and interviewed by Uonline reporter on March 2007.
2008年9月27日星期六
Taiwan national baseball team
The Chinese Taipei baseball team , is the national team of the Republic of China . It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association.
Due to political pressures from the People's Republic of China on international sports organizations, and the growing recognition of the PRC's government as the sole representative of all China, the delegation had to reach a compromise name, changing it from 中華民國棒球國家隊 to its present one.
The team is one of the best baseball teams in Asia, along with and . The team comprises amateurs and professionals from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, Japan's Central League and Pacific League, and North American major and minor leagues.
The team has participated in many of the international and regional tournaments and has achieved many successes. It has won four champions in Asian Baseball Championship, a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in , and a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in . Its recent success was the winning of the gold medal at the in Doha in a sweeping victory by beating South Korea, Thailand, China, Philippines, and finally Japan.
In 1954, when the team first participated in the Asian Baseball Championship, it competed under the name of ''United Team of Taiwan''. Since the expulsion of the Republic of China from the United Nations in 1971, the Taiwan national baseball team was forced to compete internationally under the name of ''Chinese Taipei'' because the People's Republic of China's ''One China Policy''. In Taiwan it is both referred to as 中華隊 or 台灣隊 .
Chinese Taipei has a very successful history in participating the Championship. It has finished 4 times in the first place, 6 times in the second place and 10 times in the third place. The team competed again in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship which was held in Taiwan.
Chinese Taipei has not missed any of the Asian Games since its first appearance in the Asian Games was in 1990 in Beijing, . In Beijing, it finished in first place, however, it was a demonstration sport thus it did not receive any medal. Its second appearance was in 1994 where it finished in third place. In 1998, it again finished in third place. Taipei lost to South Korea in 2002 in Pusan, South Korea and hence finished in second. It was by far its best result. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, a game-winning walk of hit by Lin Chih Sheng helped to win its first Asian Games baseball gold. The team will be receive seventy million New Taiwan Dollar from the Republic of China government for their excellent achievement in Doha, Qatar.
At the 2006 Asian Games baseball event, Chinese Taipei will against , Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. Nonetheless, and South Korea are two of the most threatening teams in the event. The is made up of amateurs, however, can be very threatening. South Korea, however, is made up of professionals from the Korean professional league, thus is regarded as the most threatening team to Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei is made of a mix of amateurs and professionals from Taiwan, Japan and America's professional league. Some of the notable players are Kuo Hong Chih, Hu Chin Lung and Chiang Chien Ming. Chinese Taipei’s first game at the 2006 Asian Games baseball was against . The game was played on 30 November 2006 at the Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The Taiwanese use three home runs, two by Chen Yung Chi and one by Hsieh Chia Hsian, to strike first in the gold medal chase. Despite South Korea had eleven hits, it still lost the game. Taipei had ten hits and both teams committed two errors in the game. Nonetheless, Taipei won its first game. Chinese Taipei’s second game in Doha was Thailand. Played on 2 December 2006, Pan Wen Lunas the starting pitcher, it was an easy game for Taipei. Chang Chien Ming, Chen Chin Feng, Chen Feng Min had a home run, finishing Thailand in the bottom of the fourth inning. Taipei scored three points in the first inning, nine points in the third inning and four points in the fifth inning. Chinese Taipei sought its third consecutive victory over the People’s Republic of China on 4 December 2006. It was believed to be an unfair game as the South Korean umpire made too many calls against Taipei. Some believed that the umpire was cheating in order to favour China in attempt to keep South Korea’s hope for gold alive. Chang Tai Shan and Chin-Feng Chen both home runs saved Taipei from losing the game. In the game, Taipei had eight hits and China had two hits and committed an error. Chinese Taipei played the Philippines on December 5 2006. Having seven points scored in the first inning, Taipei dominated the game quickly. At the end of the forth inning, Taipei was leading by thirteen points. The game thus ended at the bottom of inning as the Philippines failed to score a point. The final score was 15-0. Taipei hence advanced to the final for second time in the history. Fifteen runs, seventeen hits and one error for Taipei and four hits and two errors for the Philippines. This was the second game for Taipei to finish the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chinese Taipei played in the baseball final on 7 December 2006. The starting pitcher was Hideto Isomura and Chiang Chien Ming was the for starting pitcher for Chinese Taipei as Kuo Hong Chih was unfit for the game. Taipei was three points down after playing two innings. At the end of the third inning led Taipei by one point. The score was 3-2. led Taipei until in the top of the seventh inning but was one point down in the bottom of the seventh inning as Chia-Hsian Hsieh, Chen Feng Min, Hu Chin Lung and Chin-Feng Chen each contributed a point and helped Taipei to lead the game for the first time. The score was 6-5. Japan re-took the lead in the eighth inning but score nothing in the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Taipei had occupied the second and third, then a game-winning walk off hit by Lin Chih Sheng helped Taipei win its first Asian Games baseball gold medal. In this game, had eleven hits and seven runs, however, committed two errors. Taipei, on the other hand, had thirteen hits and eights runs, and committed no error.
The team's first appearance at the was in 1973. Since then, the team has won two bronze medal, one in 1983] in Belgium and the recent one in 2006 in Taiwan. Taiwan did not participate in the 1975, 1979, 1981, 1993 and 1997 Intercontinental Cup. It is currently ranked 7th in the Medal Winner Ranking.
, , Nicaragua and the remain Taiwan's four biggest rivals in the Intercontinental Cup.
As the host of the recent 2006 Intercontinental Cup, Taiwan won its second bronze medal after beating Japan in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup final 4-0.
On 26 July, 1992 and the following ten days, Chinese Taipei competed against seven other national teams from , the , , , , and the at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The teams played each other seven rounds and the top four on the table advance to finals. Chinese Taipei eventually advanced to the finals, beating Japan 5-2 in the semi-finals. It struggled in the final against , suffering an enormous defeat. The score was 1-11. Nonetheless, it won a silver medal which is still now its best result ever achieved in the Olympics.
Game Summary
26 July 1992 - Round 1, defeated 8-2.
27 July 1992 - Round 2, lost by one run to the . The final score 9-10.
28 July 1992 - Round 3, sought its second victory over the . The score was 10-1.
29 July 1992 - Round 4, dominated the . The final score was 20-0.
31 July 1992 - Round 5, beat the Dominican Republic eleven to nothing.
1 August 1992 - Round 6, faced one of its two main rivals from Asia - . It acquired its fifth victory by beating 2-0
2 August 1992 - Round 7, in the final round, suffered another defeat to the . This time scored only one run. The score was 1-8.
4 August 1992 - Semi-final, defeated Japan 5-2 and would played against in the final.
5 August 1992 - Final, was defeated by . Final score 1-11.
Chinese Taipei qualified for the by finishing 2nd in the Asian Baseball Championship. The team ended up finishing 5th in the tournament.
The team qualified for the by finishing 3rd place in the Final Qualifying Tournament.
On August 15, Taiwan lost to for the first time in an international baseball event. However, it had been suspected by DPP legislators that Beijing set up the schedule unfair to Taiwan. Taiwan was scheduled to play the latest game the day before. It was estimated that the players could only get three hours of sleep.
The team finished 5th in the tournament.
Chinese Taipei participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. The squad included players from Major League Baseball. During the Classic, the team played in but ended up being the third place and did not advance. Their only victory was a 12-3 win over .
see also:
*Asian Baseball Championship
** 1st place, 1983 '''', 1987, 1989 '''', 1991, 2001
** 2nd place, 1955, 1969, 1985 '''', 2003, 2005
** 3rd place, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999
** 4th place, 1954, 1975
** 5th place, 1971
*Asian Games
** 1st place 1990 '''', 2006
** 2nd place, 2002
** 3rd place, 1994, 1998
*
** 3rd place, 2006
*Olympics
** 2nd place, 1992
** 3rd place, 1984 ''''
** 5th place, 2004
** 5th place, 2008
*World Cup of Baseball
** 2nd place, 1984
** 3rd place, 1986, 1988, 2001
** 4th place, 1982, 2003
** 5th place, 1973
* Largest win — Taiwan 30 - 0 India ,
* Worst defeat — Taiwan 3 -20 the Netherlands ,
Due to political pressures from the People's Republic of China on international sports organizations, and the growing recognition of the PRC's government as the sole representative of all China, the delegation had to reach a compromise name, changing it from 中華民國棒球國家隊 to its present one.
The team is one of the best baseball teams in Asia, along with and . The team comprises amateurs and professionals from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, Japan's Central League and Pacific League, and North American major and minor leagues.
The team has participated in many of the international and regional tournaments and has achieved many successes. It has won four champions in Asian Baseball Championship, a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in , and a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in . Its recent success was the winning of the gold medal at the in Doha in a sweeping victory by beating South Korea, Thailand, China, Philippines, and finally Japan.
Name controversy
In 1954, when the team first participated in the Asian Baseball Championship, it competed under the name of ''United Team of Taiwan''. Since the expulsion of the Republic of China from the United Nations in 1971, the Taiwan national baseball team was forced to compete internationally under the name of ''Chinese Taipei'' because the People's Republic of China's ''One China Policy''. In Taiwan it is both referred to as 中華隊 or 台灣隊 .
Regional competition
Asian Baseball Championship
Chinese Taipei has a very successful history in participating the Championship. It has finished 4 times in the first place, 6 times in the second place and 10 times in the third place. The team competed again in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship which was held in Taiwan.
Asian Games
Chinese Taipei has not missed any of the Asian Games since its first appearance in the Asian Games was in 1990 in Beijing, . In Beijing, it finished in first place, however, it was a demonstration sport thus it did not receive any medal. Its second appearance was in 1994 where it finished in third place. In 1998, it again finished in third place. Taipei lost to South Korea in 2002 in Pusan, South Korea and hence finished in second. It was by far its best result. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, a game-winning walk of hit by Lin Chih Sheng helped to win its first Asian Games baseball gold. The team will be receive seventy million New Taiwan Dollar from the Republic of China government for their excellent achievement in Doha, Qatar.
Doha Asian Games, 2006
At the 2006 Asian Games baseball event, Chinese Taipei will against , Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. Nonetheless, and South Korea are two of the most threatening teams in the event. The is made up of amateurs, however, can be very threatening. South Korea, however, is made up of professionals from the Korean professional league, thus is regarded as the most threatening team to Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei is made of a mix of amateurs and professionals from Taiwan, Japan and America's professional league. Some of the notable players are Kuo Hong Chih, Hu Chin Lung and Chiang Chien Ming. Chinese Taipei’s first game at the 2006 Asian Games baseball was against . The game was played on 30 November 2006 at the Al-Rayyan Sports Club. The Taiwanese use three home runs, two by Chen Yung Chi and one by Hsieh Chia Hsian, to strike first in the gold medal chase. Despite South Korea had eleven hits, it still lost the game. Taipei had ten hits and both teams committed two errors in the game. Nonetheless, Taipei won its first game. Chinese Taipei’s second game in Doha was Thailand. Played on 2 December 2006, Pan Wen Lunas the starting pitcher, it was an easy game for Taipei. Chang Chien Ming, Chen Chin Feng, Chen Feng Min had a home run, finishing Thailand in the bottom of the fourth inning. Taipei scored three points in the first inning, nine points in the third inning and four points in the fifth inning. Chinese Taipei sought its third consecutive victory over the People’s Republic of China on 4 December 2006. It was believed to be an unfair game as the South Korean umpire made too many calls against Taipei. Some believed that the umpire was cheating in order to favour China in attempt to keep South Korea’s hope for gold alive. Chang Tai Shan and Chin-Feng Chen both home runs saved Taipei from losing the game. In the game, Taipei had eight hits and China had two hits and committed an error. Chinese Taipei played the Philippines on December 5 2006. Having seven points scored in the first inning, Taipei dominated the game quickly. At the end of the forth inning, Taipei was leading by thirteen points. The game thus ended at the bottom of inning as the Philippines failed to score a point. The final score was 15-0. Taipei hence advanced to the final for second time in the history. Fifteen runs, seventeen hits and one error for Taipei and four hits and two errors for the Philippines. This was the second game for Taipei to finish the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chinese Taipei played in the baseball final on 7 December 2006. The starting pitcher was Hideto Isomura and Chiang Chien Ming was the for starting pitcher for Chinese Taipei as Kuo Hong Chih was unfit for the game. Taipei was three points down after playing two innings. At the end of the third inning led Taipei by one point. The score was 3-2. led Taipei until in the top of the seventh inning but was one point down in the bottom of the seventh inning as Chia-Hsian Hsieh, Chen Feng Min, Hu Chin Lung and Chin-Feng Chen each contributed a point and helped Taipei to lead the game for the first time. The score was 6-5. Japan re-took the lead in the eighth inning but score nothing in the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Taipei had occupied the second and third, then a game-winning walk off hit by Lin Chih Sheng helped Taipei win its first Asian Games baseball gold medal. In this game, had eleven hits and seven runs, however, committed two errors. Taipei, on the other hand, had thirteen hits and eights runs, and committed no error.
International competition
Intercontinental Cup
The team's first appearance at the was in 1973. Since then, the team has won two bronze medal, one in 1983] in Belgium and the recent one in 2006 in Taiwan. Taiwan did not participate in the 1975, 1979, 1981, 1993 and 1997 Intercontinental Cup. It is currently ranked 7th in the Medal Winner Ranking.
, , Nicaragua and the remain Taiwan's four biggest rivals in the Intercontinental Cup.
As the host of the recent 2006 Intercontinental Cup, Taiwan won its second bronze medal after beating Japan in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup final 4-0.
Olympic Games
Barcelona Olympics, 1992
On 26 July, 1992 and the following ten days, Chinese Taipei competed against seven other national teams from , the , , , , and the at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The teams played each other seven rounds and the top four on the table advance to finals. Chinese Taipei eventually advanced to the finals, beating Japan 5-2 in the semi-finals. It struggled in the final against , suffering an enormous defeat. The score was 1-11. Nonetheless, it won a silver medal which is still now its best result ever achieved in the Olympics.
Game Summary
26 July 1992 - Round 1, defeated 8-2.
27 July 1992 - Round 2, lost by one run to the . The final score 9-10.
28 July 1992 - Round 3, sought its second victory over the . The score was 10-1.
29 July 1992 - Round 4, dominated the . The final score was 20-0.
31 July 1992 - Round 5, beat the Dominican Republic eleven to nothing.
1 August 1992 - Round 6, faced one of its two main rivals from Asia - . It acquired its fifth victory by beating 2-0
2 August 1992 - Round 7, in the final round, suffered another defeat to the . This time scored only one run. The score was 1-8.
4 August 1992 - Semi-final, defeated Japan 5-2 and would played against in the final.
5 August 1992 - Final, was defeated by . Final score 1-11.
Athens Olympics, 2004
Chinese Taipei qualified for the by finishing 2nd in the Asian Baseball Championship. The team ended up finishing 5th in the tournament.
Beijing Olympics, 2008
The team qualified for the by finishing 3rd place in the Final Qualifying Tournament.
On August 15, Taiwan lost to for the first time in an international baseball event. However, it had been suspected by DPP legislators that Beijing set up the schedule unfair to Taiwan. Taiwan was scheduled to play the latest game the day before. It was estimated that the players could only get three hours of sleep.
The team finished 5th in the tournament.
World Cup of Baseball
World Baseball Classic
Chinese Taipei participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. The squad included players from Major League Baseball. During the Classic, the team played in but ended up being the third place and did not advance. Their only victory was a 12-3 win over .
see also:
Jersey
Before 1984
1984-1999
1999-2003
2003-Present
Honours
*Asian Baseball Championship
** 1st place, 1983 '''', 1987, 1989 '''', 1991, 2001
** 2nd place, 1955, 1969, 1985 '''', 2003, 2005
** 3rd place, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999
** 4th place, 1954, 1975
** 5th place, 1971
*Asian Games
** 1st place 1990 '''', 2006
** 2nd place, 2002
** 3rd place, 1994, 1998
*
** 3rd place, 2006
*Olympics
** 2nd place, 1992
** 3rd place, 1984 ''''
** 5th place, 2004
** 5th place, 2008
*World Cup of Baseball
** 2nd place, 1984
** 3rd place, 1986, 1988, 2001
** 4th place, 1982, 2003
** 5th place, 1973
Records
* Largest win — Taiwan 30 - 0 India ,
* Worst defeat — Taiwan 3 -20 the Netherlands ,
Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is usually played in October, after the regular season. It was originally called ''Chinese Professional Baseball League Annual Championship Series'' , and was renamed ''Taiwan Series'' after the merger of the Chinese Professional Baseball League with the Taiwan Major League in 2003. Starting in 2005, the winner of the Taiwan Series goes on to play in the Konami Cup Asia Series.
Teams play two fifty-game half seasons. The two half-season winners are automatically the number one and two seeds. The one with the better full-season record gains an automatic berth into the Taiwan Series. The other team must play a best three-of-five game series against the non-winner who had the best full season record. If the same team wins both halves, the next two teams with the best full-season record will play in the first round. The winner plays in the Taiwan Series, but reduced to having the home field advantage only two times in the series.
Qualification
Teams play two fifty-game half seasons. The two half-season winners are automatically the number one and two seeds. The one with the better full-season record gains an automatic berth into the Taiwan Series. The other team must play a best three-of-five game series against the non-winner who had the best full season record. If the same team wins both halves, the next two teams with the best full-season record will play in the first round. The winner plays in the Taiwan Series, but reduced to having the home field advantage only two times in the series.
Results
Taiwan Major League
The Taiwan Major League was a professional baseball league in Taiwan that existed from 1996 to 2003. It was established by TV tycoon Chiu Fu-sheng after a row over CPBL broadcasting rights. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed the TML in 2003.
Throughout TML's short 6-season history, all 4 teams were directly owned and administered by the Naluwan Corporation, a subsidiary of the TVBS media group both of which were chaired by Chiu Fu-sheng during that period. TVBS ever won the bid to broadcast CPBL games from 1993 to 1996 during CPBL's heyday. But in August 1995 TVBS lost to Videoland Television Network, a subsidiary of the Koos Group whose baseball team later joined CPBL in 1997, in the new bid to broadcast CPBL games from 1997 to 2006. Chiu therefore established TML in December 1995 in anticipation to maintain advertisement revenue as well as revenge CPBL. The other TML's keyman was local Sampo Corporation's then chairman Chen Sheng-tian; his amateur baseball team Sampo Giants had been wanting to join CPBL since 1992, however CPBL repeatedly rejected his application for unexplained reasons. Chen Sheng-tian later decided to cooperate with Chiu Fu-sheng and turned Sampo Giants into Taipei Gida, as well as sponsored this team until the end of 2000 when he realized there was no possibility for TML to profit. TML's first historical game was played by the Taipei Gida visiting Chiayi-Tainan Luka's home at Chiayi County Baseball Stadium on February 28, 1997, a preselected date to recognize the 228 Incident as well as intentionally being earlier than CPBL's season in anticipation to attract more attention.
Throughout TML's history, TML had been luring active CPBL players to break their CPBL contracts and join TML by paying them high salary in excess of real market value. A total of near 30 CPBL players, both Taiwanese and international, were attracted to TML; however because of Chiu's indecent incentive to form TML, many these players' fans ceased to support them and called them "traitors" henceforth. TML also had a much looser policy on international players, even allowing a team to own 11 international players in its first 1997 season, and 7 in its second 1998 season.
Chiu annually leased the 4 teams' logos and legal rights to different sponsors for advertising purpose, so every year each team would bear different name from different sponsors, only with home city and mascot remained the same. And after each season ended Chiu might also re-distributed players to different teams to "balance each team's strength", because all TML players' contracts were directly signed to the Naluwan Corporation but not any of the 4 teams. With these highly controversial policies TML never gained popularity comparable to CPBL, and TML also had difficulty in opening new market right after the aftermath of the . Despite nice pay and strong propaganda from the TVBS media group, young, potential players hesitated to join TML because its games were not competitive enough, and sponsors gradually disappeared.
In January 2003 Chiu finally decided to close down TML and absorb TML's 4 teams into 2 to join CPBL after long time loss and political pressure from President Chen Shui-bian; Chiu also quit TVBS's chair later. President Chen found local First Financial Holdings plus the voluntary Macoto Bank to take over the 2 TML's absorbed teams. Macoto Bank went on running, while First Financial Holdings sold Agan to La New Corporation one year later, forming today's CPBL. Macoto Bank was later absorbed by Shin Kong Financial Holdings in January 2006, but the Cobras still carries the name "Macoto" so far.
Before CPBL's 2003 season started, CPBL decided to fine each active former "traitor" player who returned back with Gida and Agan for 1~4 million NT$ because of their previous contract-breaking. Both Macoto Bank and First Financial Holdings originally refused to pay the fine, so during 2003 these "traitor" players had no game to play. However in 2004 Macoto Bank and La New Corporation finally paid the fine by adding extra restrictions in these players' contracts. These players could finally show up in CPBL again after long time absence.
The mascots Gida, Agan, Luka and Fala originated from Taiwanese aborigines symbols. They mean "Suns", "Robots", "Braves" and "Thunder Gods" separately. However after the merger CPBL ruled that the 2 new teams needed to have their mascots changed to CPBL-style animals within one year; Macoto Bank and La New Corporation followed accordingly before the 2004 season started.
*Taipei Gida
*Taichung Agan
*Chiayi-Tainan Luka or abbreviated
*Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala or abbreviated
Like CPBL, TML games were also occasionally held in minor cities as listed in the CPBL article, and it adopted CPBL's 1998 and 1999 unhalved season system and championship rules throughout its history. TML ever suggested a real Taiwan championship competed by the 2 leagues' annual most winning teams, but CPBL refused determinedly.
*1997: Chiayi-Tainan Luka defeated Taipei Gida, 4-3
*1998: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-3
*1999: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
*2000: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-0
*2001: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
*2002: Taichung Agan defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-1
History
Throughout TML's short 6-season history, all 4 teams were directly owned and administered by the Naluwan Corporation, a subsidiary of the TVBS media group both of which were chaired by Chiu Fu-sheng during that period. TVBS ever won the bid to broadcast CPBL games from 1993 to 1996 during CPBL's heyday. But in August 1995 TVBS lost to Videoland Television Network, a subsidiary of the Koos Group whose baseball team later joined CPBL in 1997, in the new bid to broadcast CPBL games from 1997 to 2006. Chiu therefore established TML in December 1995 in anticipation to maintain advertisement revenue as well as revenge CPBL. The other TML's keyman was local Sampo Corporation's then chairman Chen Sheng-tian; his amateur baseball team Sampo Giants had been wanting to join CPBL since 1992, however CPBL repeatedly rejected his application for unexplained reasons. Chen Sheng-tian later decided to cooperate with Chiu Fu-sheng and turned Sampo Giants into Taipei Gida, as well as sponsored this team until the end of 2000 when he realized there was no possibility for TML to profit. TML's first historical game was played by the Taipei Gida visiting Chiayi-Tainan Luka's home at Chiayi County Baseball Stadium on February 28, 1997, a preselected date to recognize the 228 Incident as well as intentionally being earlier than CPBL's season in anticipation to attract more attention.
Throughout TML's history, TML had been luring active CPBL players to break their CPBL contracts and join TML by paying them high salary in excess of real market value. A total of near 30 CPBL players, both Taiwanese and international, were attracted to TML; however because of Chiu's indecent incentive to form TML, many these players' fans ceased to support them and called them "traitors" henceforth. TML also had a much looser policy on international players, even allowing a team to own 11 international players in its first 1997 season, and 7 in its second 1998 season.
Chiu annually leased the 4 teams' logos and legal rights to different sponsors for advertising purpose, so every year each team would bear different name from different sponsors, only with home city and mascot remained the same. And after each season ended Chiu might also re-distributed players to different teams to "balance each team's strength", because all TML players' contracts were directly signed to the Naluwan Corporation but not any of the 4 teams. With these highly controversial policies TML never gained popularity comparable to CPBL, and TML also had difficulty in opening new market right after the aftermath of the . Despite nice pay and strong propaganda from the TVBS media group, young, potential players hesitated to join TML because its games were not competitive enough, and sponsors gradually disappeared.
In January 2003 Chiu finally decided to close down TML and absorb TML's 4 teams into 2 to join CPBL after long time loss and political pressure from President Chen Shui-bian; Chiu also quit TVBS's chair later. President Chen found local First Financial Holdings plus the voluntary Macoto Bank to take over the 2 TML's absorbed teams. Macoto Bank went on running, while First Financial Holdings sold Agan to La New Corporation one year later, forming today's CPBL. Macoto Bank was later absorbed by Shin Kong Financial Holdings in January 2006, but the Cobras still carries the name "Macoto" so far.
Before CPBL's 2003 season started, CPBL decided to fine each active former "traitor" player who returned back with Gida and Agan for 1~4 million NT$ because of their previous contract-breaking. Both Macoto Bank and First Financial Holdings originally refused to pay the fine, so during 2003 these "traitor" players had no game to play. However in 2004 Macoto Bank and La New Corporation finally paid the fine by adding extra restrictions in these players' contracts. These players could finally show up in CPBL again after long time absence.
The mascots Gida, Agan, Luka and Fala originated from Taiwanese aborigines symbols. They mean "Suns", "Robots", "Braves" and "Thunder Gods" separately. However after the merger CPBL ruled that the 2 new teams needed to have their mascots changed to CPBL-style animals within one year; Macoto Bank and La New Corporation followed accordingly before the 2004 season started.
Teams
*Taipei Gida
*Taichung Agan
*Chiayi-Tainan Luka or abbreviated
*Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala or abbreviated
Like CPBL, TML games were also occasionally held in minor cities as listed in the CPBL article, and it adopted CPBL's 1998 and 1999 unhalved season system and championship rules throughout its history. TML ever suggested a real Taiwan championship competed by the 2 leagues' annual most winning teams, but CPBL refused determinedly.
Champions
*1997: Chiayi-Tainan Luka defeated Taipei Gida, 4-3
*1998: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-3
*1999: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
*2000: Taipei Gida defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-0
*2001: Taichung Agan defeated Taipei Gida, 4-2
*2002: Taichung Agan defeated Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala, 4-1
Professional baseball in Taiwan
Professional baseball in Taiwan started with the founding of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989. At its 1997 peak, Taiwan had two leagues and 11 professional teams. The competing Taiwan Major League ran from 1997 until its absorption by the CPBL in 2003.
The professional game has suffered from several scandals which has led to sharp declines in game attendance.
The first official baseball team in Taiwan was formed in 1906, when the island was a Japanese colony by the Middle School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School , and the first organized baseball game was played by this team and the baseball team of the Normal School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School . From 1906 through the mid 1920s, Taiwan's baseball teams consisted of mostly players. Taiwanese players didn't become actively involved in the sport until the “Neng-Gao Club” in the mid 1920s, and the Kano baseball team in the early 1930s.
The Chinese Professional Baseball League was founded in 1989 with four teams and grew to seven at one point. As of 2006, there are six teams competing for the championship of Taiwan Series.
Since 2005, the winner of the Taiwan Series represents Taiwan in the Asia Series, competing with championship teams from Japan, South Korea and China's professional leagues.
The Taiwan Major League was founded in 1997 by then chairman of TVBS, a popular cable TV channel company, after losing the nine-year broadcasting rights bid of CPBL games to Videoland Television Network. TVBS was the broadcasting right holder from 1993 to 1996.
The league was set-up to compete with the CPBL, but after years of losses, the TML was absorbed by the CPBL in 2003.
While Taiwan has been producing great baseball talent for the last few decades, its best players usually leave the domestic league to play at professional teams in Japan or North America. In the 1980s, Taiwanese pitchers such as Tai-Yuan Kuo and Katsuo Soh posted impressive numbers at Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines, respectively, of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. More recently, young stars such as outfielder Chin-Feng Chen and pitchers Chien-Ming Wang, Chin-Hui Tsao, and Hong-Chih Kuo became the first group of Taiwanese players to play in North American Major League Baseball.
* Yu, Junwei. ''Playing in Isolation: A History of Baseball in Taiwan''. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2007. ISBN 0803211406.
The professional game has suffered from several scandals which has led to sharp declines in game attendance.
Historical background
The first official baseball team in Taiwan was formed in 1906, when the island was a Japanese colony by the Middle School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School , and the first organized baseball game was played by this team and the baseball team of the Normal School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School . From 1906 through the mid 1920s, Taiwan's baseball teams consisted of mostly players. Taiwanese players didn't become actively involved in the sport until the “Neng-Gao Club” in the mid 1920s, and the Kano baseball team in the early 1930s.
The CPBL
The Chinese Professional Baseball League was founded in 1989 with four teams and grew to seven at one point. As of 2006, there are six teams competing for the championship of Taiwan Series.
Since 2005, the winner of the Taiwan Series represents Taiwan in the Asia Series, competing with championship teams from Japan, South Korea and China's professional leagues.
The TML
The Taiwan Major League was founded in 1997 by then chairman of TVBS, a popular cable TV channel company, after losing the nine-year broadcasting rights bid of CPBL games to Videoland Television Network. TVBS was the broadcasting right holder from 1993 to 1996.
The league was set-up to compete with the CPBL, but after years of losses, the TML was absorbed by the CPBL in 2003.
Exporting Talent
While Taiwan has been producing great baseball talent for the last few decades, its best players usually leave the domestic league to play at professional teams in Japan or North America. In the 1980s, Taiwanese pitchers such as Tai-Yuan Kuo and Katsuo Soh posted impressive numbers at Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines, respectively, of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. More recently, young stars such as outfielder Chin-Feng Chen and pitchers Chien-Ming Wang, Chin-Hui Tsao, and Hong-Chih Kuo became the first group of Taiwanese players to play in North American Major League Baseball.
Further reading
* Yu, Junwei. ''Playing in Isolation: A History of Baseball in Taiwan''. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2007. ISBN 0803211406.
Chinese Taipei Baseball Association
The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association, or CTBA was established on February 28, 1973. The chinese translation of the english name is: (traditional chinese: 中華台北棒球協會, hanyu pinyin: Zhōnghuá Táiběi bàngqiú xiéhuì. However its official mandarin name is: traditional chinese: 中華民國棒球協會, hanyu pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó bàngqiú xiéhuì, which translated into english means: "Baseball Association of the Republic of China", Taiwan's official name. This is because of the legal status of . Its goal was to spread and develop baseball in Taiwan , helping to host national and international baseball competitions in hope to enhance the quality of Taiwanese baseball, and also to enhance the health of the Taiwanese citizens as well as promoting sportsmenship.
Baseball was introduced to Taiwan during the , and is claimed to be the one of the oldest national sport in Taiwanese history. The current and the 7th president Peng Chenghao took over the office in 1998.
Baseball was introduced to Taiwan during the , and is claimed to be the one of the oldest national sport in Taiwanese history. The current and the 7th president Peng Chenghao took over the office in 1998.
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989, and eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003. As of 2008, the CPBL has six teams with average attendance of approximately 3,000 per game.
Baseball was first introduced to Taiwan during , and gain popularity when the national little league baseball teams won numerous Little League World Series championships in the 1970s and 1980s. The also performed exceptionally well in many international competitions. However, the development for baseball in Taiwan was limited due to the lack of professional league, and therefore many players were reluctant to commit to the sport.
The idea of forming a professional baseball league in Taiwan was first suggested and realized by local 's chairman Hung Teng-Sheng . He formed his amateur Brother Hotel baseball team in 1984, and intended to professionalize his team and form a professional league within a few years. Throughout 1988 and 1989, Hung visited numerous Taiwanese businesses, tried to convince them to form professional baseball clubs. Most of his requests were rejected, but , , and Uni-President Corporation were supportive of his idea. The Chinese Professional Baseball League was established on October 23, 1989, with Hung Teng-sheng acted as secretary-general. Because of his contribution to the baseball in Taiwan, Hung is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the CPBL."
In 1997, the newly founded Taiwan Major League presented a serious challenge to CPBL's monopoly of professional baseball industry in Taiwan. The two leagues engaged in a heated competition, and, after running at a loss, TML was finally absorbed by CPBL.
All teams are owned and named after large Taiwanese corporations, as in Japan's NPB or South Korea's KBO. Each team manages a regional market with a home city, but does not play its games exclusively in that market. Other than the home cities, regular season games are also held in Hsinchu, at Douliou Baseball Stadium, Chiayi at Chiayi Baseball Field, at Pingtung Baseball Field, , Hualien and with less frequency.
Each season spans from March to October, with a one-week all-star break in June or July, which separates the season into first and second half-seasons. Championship series are held in late October or early November: before 2004 the two teams with highest winning percentage in the first and second half-seasons respectively would compete in the championship series. If a single team won both half-seasons, the team would be awarded the championship without a championship series. Since 2005, the regulation changed to a system based on lower-A minor league baseball in the United States:
*If the two half-season champions are of different teams:
::Round 1: The half-season champion with the higher winning percentage receives a bye in the first round. The team with the highest winning percentage, not including either half-season champion, receives a berth, and plays the other half-season champion. The team that wins the best-of-five series advances.
::Round 2: The winner of Round 1 plays against the remaining half-season champion. The team that wins the best-of-seven series is awarded the overall championship.
*If both half-seasons are won by the same team:
::Round 1: The team with the second-highest winning percentage plays the team with the third-highest winning percentage. The team that wins the best-of-five series advances.
::Round 2: Round 1's winner plays against the team that won both half-seasons. The championship series becomes a six-game series, with the team which won both halves starting with a 1-0 advantage. The winner of the series is then awarded the overall championship.
In 1998 and 1999, the CPBL experimented another set of championship rules in which the season was not halved, and the second and third place teams played in the semifinal, with a three-game series determining the winner, who played for the championship with the first-place team. Although such system was short-lived in CPBL, the TML later adopted it throughout its history.
Also since 2005 the champion team will represent Taiwan in the Asia Series to compete with other champion teams from Japan, South Korea and China's professional baseball leagues.
A typical monthly salary for an foreign player is in between 5,000-12,000 USD, which is competitive with A, AA, or even low level AAA minor league salaries. This has attracted players from North America, Caribbean, Australia as well as Japan and South Korea. These players contributed to a relatively high level of play, but some people criticized that hiring too many international players would hindered the growth of indigenous players. In response to the criticisms, CPBL limits the number of foreign players for each team to four per team, three of which on the major league team and one on the minor. A foreign player, once sent to the minor league team, must wait two weeks before being allowed to be sent back to the major league.
Foreign players, from regions other than Japan and South Korea, are given Chinese epithets to increase familiarity with Taiwanese fans. These epithets, usually two to three characters in length, are generally loose transliterations of the players' names and are generally chosen as terms meant to convey strength or might. One example is Jeff Andra, whose epithet is ''Feiyong'' — meaning, literally, a flying brave man.
*Brother Elephants -- Taipei
*Chinatrust Whales -- Taipei County
*La New Bears -- Kaohsiung
*Dmedia T-REX -- Taipei County
*Sinon Bulls -- Taichung
*Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions -- Tainan
*China Times Eagles
*Mercuries Tigers
*Wei Chuan Dragons
*1990: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Mercuries Tigers, 4-2
*1991: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-3
*1992: Brother Elephants
*1993: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-2
*1994: Brother Elephants
*1995: Uni-President Lions
*1996: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-2
*1997: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatimes Eagles, 4-2
*1998: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
*1999: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-1
*2000: Uni-President Lions defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
*2001: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-3
*2002: Brother Elephants defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-0
*2003: Brother Elephants defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-2
*2004: Sinon Bulls defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-3
*2005: Sinon Bulls defeated Macoto Cobras, 4-0
*: La New Bears defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-0
*: Uni-President Lions defeated La New Bears, 4-3
Despite its young age, professional baseball in Taiwan had suffered two game-fixing scandals. Both times led to sharp decline in game attendance.
The first sign of the scandals was the "August 3 Incident" when a group of weapon-carrying local gang members rushed into a Taichung hotel and threatened five Brother Elephants players, including then star pitcher Chen Yi-Hsin , to cooperate with them and fix games for their gambling business in the evening of August 3, 1996. CPBL reported to the police immediately and the gang members were soon arrested, but rumors abounded.
The rumors came true in January 1997, just before the season started. With solid evidences, prosecutors arrested several CPBL players suspected of being in game-fixing operations. During the judicial process, more players, mostly from the China Times Eagles, were found involved in game-fixing and were promptly expelled by CPBL. In June 1997, only two Taiwanese players on the roster of China Times Eagles remained clean, and the other six teams had to lend their players to the Eagles for the team to finish the season.
China Times Eagles were disbanded the the next year as a result, and CPBL's average attendance declined sharply, from the peak 6,000 in 1994 to merely 1,500 in 1998. However, the ordeal does not stop. In August 1997, several Mercuries Tigers players were threatened under similar circumstance as the August 3 Incident. In April 1999, Wei Chuan Dragons' then manager Hsu Sheng-ming was attacked near his Taipei residence. Mercuries Tigers and Wei Chuan Dragons also did not survive the financial loss brought about and closed down after the 1999 season. The whole event was later nicknamed as "The Black Eagles Incident" due to the fact that the China Times Eagles was most seriously involved.
In July 2005, another gambling-related scandal surfaced when local Next Magazine published a story with photographs of Chinatrust Whales' Australian pitcher Brad Purcell at a Taipei lounge bar along with several local gang members. This article further points out several suspicious games in May and June 2005, and listed nearly ten players involved, mostly foreign players.
Local prosecutor Hsu Wei-Yueh took up the case and imprisoned La New Bears catcher Chen Chao-Ying Chen and Macoto Cobras coach Tsai Sheng-Fong Tsai on July 27, both of whom were immediately expelled. However, on August 22 Hsu released the two, stating that "they had made full confessions". Bradley Purcell himself had been fired earlier by Chinatrust Whales and left Taiwan in advance before the judicial action started.
Hsu later summoned a total of near fifteen players, including Sinon Bulls American pitcher Jeff Andra , La New Bears infielder and Chinatrust Whales pitcher Emiliano Giron , and claimed they were implicated. None of them admitted to be involved but Hsu still ruled that most of them needed bail of NT$ 100,000 to be released. CPBL immediately expelled those players who needed to post bail. Only Brother Elephants and Uni-President Lions remain unaffected by this scandal.
The real situation remains unclear, with the lack of investigative progress and indictments, and the fact that Hsu Wei-Yueh himself was later arrested for his involvement in a bribery scandals, which led to his trial and sentence in 2005.
History
Baseball was first introduced to Taiwan during , and gain popularity when the national little league baseball teams won numerous Little League World Series championships in the 1970s and 1980s. The also performed exceptionally well in many international competitions. However, the development for baseball in Taiwan was limited due to the lack of professional league, and therefore many players were reluctant to commit to the sport.
The idea of forming a professional baseball league in Taiwan was first suggested and realized by local 's chairman Hung Teng-Sheng . He formed his amateur Brother Hotel baseball team in 1984, and intended to professionalize his team and form a professional league within a few years. Throughout 1988 and 1989, Hung visited numerous Taiwanese businesses, tried to convince them to form professional baseball clubs. Most of his requests were rejected, but , , and Uni-President Corporation were supportive of his idea. The Chinese Professional Baseball League was established on October 23, 1989, with Hung Teng-sheng acted as secretary-general. Because of his contribution to the baseball in Taiwan, Hung is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the CPBL."
Taiwan Major League
In 1997, the newly founded Taiwan Major League presented a serious challenge to CPBL's monopoly of professional baseball industry in Taiwan. The two leagues engaged in a heated competition, and, after running at a loss, TML was finally absorbed by CPBL.
Organization
All teams are owned and named after large Taiwanese corporations, as in Japan's NPB or South Korea's KBO. Each team manages a regional market with a home city, but does not play its games exclusively in that market. Other than the home cities, regular season games are also held in Hsinchu, at Douliou Baseball Stadium, Chiayi at Chiayi Baseball Field, at Pingtung Baseball Field, , Hualien and with less frequency.
Each season spans from March to October, with a one-week all-star break in June or July, which separates the season into first and second half-seasons. Championship series are held in late October or early November: before 2004 the two teams with highest winning percentage in the first and second half-seasons respectively would compete in the championship series. If a single team won both half-seasons, the team would be awarded the championship without a championship series. Since 2005, the regulation changed to a system based on lower-A minor league baseball in the United States:
*If the two half-season champions are of different teams:
::Round 1: The half-season champion with the higher winning percentage receives a bye in the first round. The team with the highest winning percentage, not including either half-season champion, receives a berth, and plays the other half-season champion. The team that wins the best-of-five series advances.
::Round 2: The winner of Round 1 plays against the remaining half-season champion. The team that wins the best-of-seven series is awarded the overall championship.
*If both half-seasons are won by the same team:
::Round 1: The team with the second-highest winning percentage plays the team with the third-highest winning percentage. The team that wins the best-of-five series advances.
::Round 2: Round 1's winner plays against the team that won both half-seasons. The championship series becomes a six-game series, with the team which won both halves starting with a 1-0 advantage. The winner of the series is then awarded the overall championship.
In 1998 and 1999, the CPBL experimented another set of championship rules in which the season was not halved, and the second and third place teams played in the semifinal, with a three-game series determining the winner, who played for the championship with the first-place team. Although such system was short-lived in CPBL, the TML later adopted it throughout its history.
Also since 2005 the champion team will represent Taiwan in the Asia Series to compete with other champion teams from Japan, South Korea and China's professional baseball leagues.
Foreign Players
A typical monthly salary for an foreign player is in between 5,000-12,000 USD, which is competitive with A, AA, or even low level AAA minor league salaries. This has attracted players from North America, Caribbean, Australia as well as Japan and South Korea. These players contributed to a relatively high level of play, but some people criticized that hiring too many international players would hindered the growth of indigenous players. In response to the criticisms, CPBL limits the number of foreign players for each team to four per team, three of which on the major league team and one on the minor. A foreign player, once sent to the minor league team, must wait two weeks before being allowed to be sent back to the major league.
Foreign players, from regions other than Japan and South Korea, are given Chinese epithets to increase familiarity with Taiwanese fans. These epithets, usually two to three characters in length, are generally loose transliterations of the players' names and are generally chosen as terms meant to convey strength or might. One example is Jeff Andra, whose epithet is ''Feiyong'' — meaning, literally, a flying brave man.
Current Teams
*Brother Elephants -- Taipei
*Chinatrust Whales -- Taipei County
*La New Bears -- Kaohsiung
*Dmedia T-REX -- Taipei County
*Sinon Bulls -- Taichung
*Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions -- Tainan
Defunct Teams
*China Times Eagles
*Mercuries Tigers
*Wei Chuan Dragons
Championship by season
*1990: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Mercuries Tigers, 4-2
*1991: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-3
*1992: Brother Elephants
*1993: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-2
*1994: Brother Elephants
*1995: Uni-President Lions
*1996: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-2
*1997: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatimes Eagles, 4-2
*1998: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
*1999: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-1
*2000: Uni-President Lions defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
*2001: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-3
*2002: Brother Elephants defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-0
*2003: Brother Elephants defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-2
*2004: Sinon Bulls defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-3
*2005: Sinon Bulls defeated Macoto Cobras, 4-0
*: La New Bears defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-0
*: Uni-President Lions defeated La New Bears, 4-3
Controversies
Despite its young age, professional baseball in Taiwan had suffered two game-fixing scandals. Both times led to sharp decline in game attendance.
The August 3 Incident
The first sign of the scandals was the "August 3 Incident" when a group of weapon-carrying local gang members rushed into a Taichung hotel and threatened five Brother Elephants players, including then star pitcher Chen Yi-Hsin , to cooperate with them and fix games for their gambling business in the evening of August 3, 1996. CPBL reported to the police immediately and the gang members were soon arrested, but rumors abounded.
The Black Eagles Incident
The rumors came true in January 1997, just before the season started. With solid evidences, prosecutors arrested several CPBL players suspected of being in game-fixing operations. During the judicial process, more players, mostly from the China Times Eagles, were found involved in game-fixing and were promptly expelled by CPBL. In June 1997, only two Taiwanese players on the roster of China Times Eagles remained clean, and the other six teams had to lend their players to the Eagles for the team to finish the season.
China Times Eagles were disbanded the the next year as a result, and CPBL's average attendance declined sharply, from the peak 6,000 in 1994 to merely 1,500 in 1998. However, the ordeal does not stop. In August 1997, several Mercuries Tigers players were threatened under similar circumstance as the August 3 Incident. In April 1999, Wei Chuan Dragons' then manager Hsu Sheng-ming was attacked near his Taipei residence. Mercuries Tigers and Wei Chuan Dragons also did not survive the financial loss brought about and closed down after the 1999 season. The whole event was later nicknamed as "The Black Eagles Incident" due to the fact that the China Times Eagles was most seriously involved.
The 2005 Game-Fixing Scandal
In July 2005, another gambling-related scandal surfaced when local Next Magazine published a story with photographs of Chinatrust Whales' Australian pitcher Brad Purcell at a Taipei lounge bar along with several local gang members. This article further points out several suspicious games in May and June 2005, and listed nearly ten players involved, mostly foreign players.
Local prosecutor Hsu Wei-Yueh took up the case and imprisoned La New Bears catcher Chen Chao-Ying Chen and Macoto Cobras coach Tsai Sheng-Fong Tsai on July 27, both of whom were immediately expelled. However, on August 22 Hsu released the two, stating that "they had made full confessions". Bradley Purcell himself had been fired earlier by Chinatrust Whales and left Taiwan in advance before the judicial action started.
Hsu later summoned a total of near fifteen players, including Sinon Bulls American pitcher Jeff Andra , La New Bears infielder and Chinatrust Whales pitcher Emiliano Giron , and claimed they were implicated. None of them admitted to be involved but Hsu still ruled that most of them needed bail of NT$ 100,000 to be released. CPBL immediately expelled those players who needed to post bail. Only Brother Elephants and Uni-President Lions remain unaffected by this scandal.
The real situation remains unclear, with the lack of investigative progress and indictments, and the fact that Hsu Wei-Yueh himself was later arrested for his involvement in a bribery scandals, which led to his trial and sentence in 2005.
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