Taiwan’s baseball season, the only one scheduled anywhere in the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was from yesterday to include English-language broadcasts to showcase the nation’s baseball to a wider audience, broadcaster Eleven Sports said on Twitter.
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) on Sunday held its first game at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium after the first two games were postponed a week earlier due to bad weather, making it the first professional baseball league in the world to start this year.
However, the season — or at least the beginning of the season — is to be played without fans due to the nation’s social distancing regulations designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Photo: CNA
The English-language commentary, which is to be provided for Rakuten Monkeys home games, would be part of the broadcasts to come from the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium from yesterday to Sunday, said World Baseball Softball Confederation Asia correspondent Richard Wang, one of the commentators.
The Monkeys, at their home stadium, are to play back-to-back games against the Uni-President Lions yesterday and today, and then three straight games against the New Taipei City-based Fubon Guardians from tomorrow to Sunday.
Wang is a commentator for Major League Baseball in North America in Chinese on Fox Sports Taiwan. He is to team up with Wayne McNeil to present the CPBL to fans worldwide at a time when professional baseball has all but come to a halt due to the pandemic.
“In many ways, baseball is a way of life, and being able to have a baseball season means that Taiwan is still able to have a normal way of life,” Wang told reporters.
In addition to reflecting the nation’s success at stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus, it is also hoped that broadcasting the games in English would show the world that the pandemic can be overcome, he said.
Having previously served for 14 years in the CPBL’s department of promotion and marketing, official publications, strategic planning and international affairs, Wang said that he hopes to help international fans fall in love with Taiwanese baseball.
“I think the fans will be interested in the players’ skills, and I will also fill in with background and stories about the league,” Wang said. “But I do hope, maybe later in the season, fans will be allowed into the stadium, which will show the complete package the CPBL has to offer.”
Asked if the English-language broadcasts would continue for the rest of the season, Wang said that it depends on viewership, but added that he thinks there is a good chance it would be well-received.
The last time the CPBL was broadcast to an international audience was more than 30 years ago.
This year’s regular season is to run until Oct. 14, with a total of 240 games scheduled, the CPBL Web site showed.
The other teams in the CPBL are Taichung-based Brothers Baseball Club and the Yunlin County-based Wei Chuan Dragons.
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
REUNION: Former Barcelona players Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano are to face their former coach Luis Enrique Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalizing reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup last 16 after both sides on Monday progressed to the knockout phase. Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot. They now face an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, but progressed from Group B in second at the expense of the Spaniards. Champions of Europe PSG won the group with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the
RSS