Dominican slugger Wilin Rosario has been enlisted by the Tainan-based Uni-President Lions for the upcoming CPBL season, the club announced on Thursday.
The signing of the 32-year-old infielder comes one day after the Uni-Lions agreed on a deal to re-sign ace pitcher Brock Dykxhoorn.
Rosario played 447 games at first base and catcher for the Colorado Rockies in the MLB, knocking out 413 hits, 71 home runs and posting a .273 batting average from 2011 to 2015.
Rosario is expected to arrive in Taiwan in the middle of next month in time for spring training.
In addition to the MLB, Rosario has also played in the Dominican Winter League, Korean Baseball Organization and Nippon Professional Baseball.
Rosario last played with Mexican League outfit Pericos de Puebla.
After failing to make an appearance for the side in the season immediately following his signing in 2020 — which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Rosario hit five home runs over 31 games before he was released on July 13 last year.
During his two seasons with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization, Rosario thrived at the plate, becoming one of the most prolific hitters in the league with 309 hits, 70 home runs and a .330 batting average over 246 games.
The Uni-Lions announced signing Rosario one day after they re-signed Canadian pitcher Dykxhoorn.
The right-hander dominated from the mound last season as he went 17-4 over 27 appearances, including 26 starts, posting a 1.83 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.
The Uni-Lions reached last season’s Taiwan Series, but went on to get swept 4-0 by the CTBC Brothers.
FORMER PIRATE
Meanwhile, the New Taipei City-based Fubon Guardians have signed former MLB pitcher Luis Escobar for the upcoming season, a club statement said on Thursday.
Right-hander Escobar, 25, made the MLB with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 after five years in the minor leagues.
He has also played in the Venezuelan Winter League, Caribbean Series, Mexican League and Mexican Pacific Winter League.
Escobar is expected to arrive in Taiwan next month.
Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) yesterday beat Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in their women’s singles semi-final match to advance to today’s final at the Thailand Open. The top-seeded Tai overcame a 10-21 first-game loss to seventh seed and former world champion Ratchanok to dominate the final two games 21-13, 21-19 in 58 minutes of play at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. World No. 2 Tai is today to face world No. 4 Chen Yufei of China. Chen yesterday bested Pusarla Venkata Sindhu 21-17, 21-16 to secure her spot in the final of the Super 500 tournament. On Friday, Tai overpowered China’s He Bingjiao 21-10,
Politicians are meant to kiss babies, not crash into children, but on the campaign trail yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison barrelled into a young boy during a friendly kickaround, eliciting a chorus of stunned “ooohs” and “aaaws” from spectators. Morrison was playing five-a-side soccer in northern Tasmania, where he is trawling for votes ahead of Saturday’s election. At first, Morrison — shorn of his jacket, but still sporting a shirt and tie — sauntered around the field somewhat aimlessly, trying to get a toe on the ball here and there as it ping-ponged from boy to boy. However, then the 54-year-old stepped
Wimbledon, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament, was on Friday stripped of ranking points by the sport’s main tours in a move that threatens to reduce the Grand Slam to the status of a high-profile exhibition event. The decision by the ATP and WTA was in response to Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players following the invasion of Ukraine. “It is with great regret and reluctance that we see no option but to remove ATP Ranking points from Wimbledon for 2022,” an ATP statement said. “Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a
Faced with a machete, a fighter leaps and locks his legs around another man’s neck, bringing him crashing down to a cacophony of cheers. This is vovinam, Vietnam’s acrobatic martial art with roots dating back to the country’s struggle for independence, and it is showing at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for the first time since 2013. Proponents are trained to use not only their hands and legs to grapple a rival to the ground, but also fend off assailants armed with blades. Short for “Vo Viet Nam” (literally “Vietnamese martial arts”) it was inspired by nationalists who sought an end to the