Taiwan catcher Lyle Lin yesterday announced that he has signed a minor-league contract with the Oakland Athletics and received an invitation to spring training, which has led to his withdrawal from Taiwan’s squad for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers.
The contract, which includes his first major-league spring training invitation since being drafted in 2019, requires him to fully attend the team’s spring training facility in Phoenix, Arizona, Lin wrote on Facebook.
He apologized for any inconvenience caused to the national team and expressed gratitude to head coach Tseng Hao-chu for giving him another opportunity to join the national team after his role in the squad who won the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship against Japan in November last year.
Photo: CNA
Lin also thanked Taiwanese baseball fans for their support, which he said had helped the team secure the Premier12 championship despite being underdogs.
He urged fans to continue supporting him just as they cheer for the national team, pledging to live up to their expectations and never give up.
“I am proud to be a part of Team Taiwan. We are Team Taiwan,” he wrote.
Photo: CNA
CPBL president Tsai Chi-chang expressed his full support for Lin’s decision.
In addition to Lin, infielder Cheng Tsung-che has also withdrawn from the initial 36-player training roster, Tsai said.
The WBC qualifiers are to begin in Taipei on Friday next week, with Taiwan to play Spain at 7pm at the Taipei Dome. They face South Africa and Nicaragua over the following two days at the same venue.
Photo: CNA
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