The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is to start a new season tomorrow, after last year’s attendance reached a record high as the league started to hold games at the Taipei Dome.
Taiwan’s professional baseball league sold 2,766,386 tickets for its regular-season games last year, for an average of 7,684 per game, along with 38 games at the Taipei Dome.
It was an increase of nearly 30 percent compared with an average of 6,000 per game in 2023.
Photo: CNA
Team Taiwan won their first major international title at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 in November last year after the CPBL season ended, and have also qualified for next year’s World Baseball Classic.
The mania for international baseball games is expected to contribute to a further growth in attendance for CPBL games, as it vowed to turn a “new chapter” this year.
CPBL president Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said he hopes baseball fans would support this year’s games by attending.
“We value regular season attendance. I hope we can bring back the remarkable fan atmosphere that we saw at Premier12,” he said.
“My job is to broaden the market of professional baseball. I am happy that players are signing lucrative contracts,” he added, referring to Chiang Kun-yu (江坤宇), Chen Tzu-hao (陳子豪) and Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) receiving 10-year deals ranging from NT$130 million to NT$200 million (US$3.92 million to US$6.03 million).
Business is business, and these deals demonstrate that the franchises are optimistic about the players’ prospects and the market’s future development, he said.
As the market grows, there would be no ceiling for players who want to advance in their careers, he added.
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them. The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.” The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled on Thursday as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a UEFA Nations League final with Portugal. Yamal bagged a brace, while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons. Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the score sheet for the UEFA Euro 2024 champions. Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal. France’s three late goals — a
RSS