It's probably best that problems hurled at us in everyday life can't be dispatched with a 32oz slab of timber. Still, it's nice to think of those problems when you step into a batting cage, one of the most fun, most therapeutic and least expensive activities to be found west of the Tamshui River.
There was a time not long ago when batting cages were popular throughout Taiwan, ballparks were filled to capacity most every game and the nation's little leaguers were world champions. Those boys tossing their hats in the air on the back of the NT$500 note had just won the 1969 Little League World Series against Santa Clara, California and the whole of Taiwan stayed up all night to catch the game live on TV. The nation would go on to win another 16 World Series titles.
But after Taiwan's baseball fever died down the many batting cages that dotted urban neighborhoods closed. Only a few remain open and they're happy to have the patronage of anyone who finds joy in smacking the leather off a 130kph fastball.
"We get mostly young guys coming in here," says Chen Hsiao-cheng (
There's also a few pool tables and an air-hockey table at the disposal of anyone waiting for their turn in the cages. And if you strike out at the plate, you can vent your frustrations on a pair of arcade games that gauge how hard you can punch.
The main attraction, though, are the cages; there are seven in total ranging from 80kph to 130kph that pitch a ball every five seconds.
A NT$200 membership buys you 100 pitches and discounts on future visits. Lefties be warned: only two of the cages are designed to accommodate your swing and you'll have to stand in line with the switch-hitters to get into one of those.
Metro Taipei Swing is located at 2, Lane 189, Changchiang Rd, Sec 2, in Panchiao, Taipei County (
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