Chen Chieh-hsien, Taiwan’s captain at last year’s World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, on Sunday said he hopes his appearance in local advertisements since leading his team to a historic championship will spur domestic players to strive for excellence.
“This can set a goal for younger players. If you work hard and maintain a good image, you can increase your income through endorsements. It’s great that we, as baseball players, can showcase our influence on businesses,” Chen said at a public event in Taipei, adding that this is a common goal among his teammates.
Chen, named Most Valuable Player of the WBSC’s flagship tournament, has been hailed as the new face of Taiwan’s CPBL due to his growing influence on and off the field.
Photo: CNA
Chen has endorsed products from shampoo and scooters to water heaters. Since last month, he has also graced the pages of the Taiwan editions of Vogue, GQ and Elle, the latter of which featured him on the cover of its January special edition.
The recent success has fueled discussion about Chen’s chances of playing overseas.
“I embrace all opportunities,” the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions outfielder said.
Since the Premier12 in November last year, Chen has on multiple occasions discussed the brevity of an athlete’s professional career, saying that his goal is to maximize his value while he can, a sentiment shared by many players.
The five-time CPBL All-Star said that he has not ruled out entering the free agent market at the end of the year to explore offers from other teams.
“It’s natural for players to want to know their true value. It’s one of our motivations. If our skills get recognized, we can earn more to improve our lives and support our families. This is why we play,” he said.
The Lions have expressed their determination to keep and have started early contract negotiations.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS