Players yesterday protested against field conditions at the Hualien Baseball Stadium for the All-Star Weekend, where the Home Run Derby also took place.
The event was planned as a mid-summer highlight while teams take a break from the season campaign, but the protest by the players’ union overshadowed the weekend’s festivities.
In the Home Run Derby, Yang Yao-hsun of the Lamigo Monkeys hit 26 home runs in the final round to win the contest, beating the challenge from teammate Chu Yu-hsien, who hit 17 pitches out of the ballpark.
In Saturday’s All-Star Game, Chang Cheng-wei from the Brothers Baseball Club delivered with the winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, helping the Veteran White Team to win 10-9 over the Rookie Red Team.
However, much of the focus was on the row over what players said were poor maintenance and dangerous field conditions at the stadium.
Many of the All-Star players wore tattoo stickers that said: “This is too dangerous.”
The Taiwan Professional Baseball Players’ Association released a statement criticizing the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for pushing the All-Star Game at the stadium, which they said was not up to professional standards.
The problems include uneven surfaces throughout the ballpark, irregular dents and cavities in the outfield, patchy grass, poor quality sand and gravel on the infield track, puddles and other issues, the statement said.
“This ballpark does not get the proper care and regular maintenance that it should. These conditions can cause fielders to trip or cause the ball to take a bad bounce. If players are injured, who should be held responsible?” the Brothers’ veteran infielder Peng Cheng-min said.
The Hualien Baseball Stadium is listed as a Category C ballpark, along with ballparks in Hsinchu, Pingtung, Chiayi and Taitung cities, which the CPBL says are suitable for amateur and local baseball training and competitions.
Union officials on Saturday said that they are considering a boycott of any CPBL games or activities at Category C venues because of the poor conditions and lack of regular maintenance, which could lead to injuries and jeopardize players’ careers.
Category B ballparks in Tainan and Taipei’s Tianmu and Sinjhuang stadiums are certified by the CPBL to host regular and exhibition games, as well as major amateur championship tournaments.
Category A ballparks, such as the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium, Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Kaohsiung’s Cheng Ching Lake Stadium and Yunlin County’s Douliou Baseball Stadium, are CPBL-certified for international tournaments, as well as regular and playoff games.
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