Hsinchu Baseball Stadium, which reopened on Friday following a multi-year renovation project, has been closed indefinitely after complaints that its infield dirt is too soft and poses a safety risk to players, the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) said yesterday.
The league said in a statement that it postponed last night’s game between the Wei Chuan Dragons and Fubon Guardians after consultations with the teams and the Hsinchu City Government.
The move comes just days after the stadium reopened on Friday to a sellout crowd of 10,000 following the completion of a three-year NT$1.2 billion (US$40.11 million) renovation project.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The stadium was closed following a call by the Taiwan Professional Baseball Players Association (TPBPA) earlier yesterday for it to be temporarily shut, citing problems with the field’s soil following games on Friday and Saturday.
During Friday’s game, Wei Chuan Dragons fielder Chang Yu-ming (張祐銘) slipped while running the bases, and third baseman Liu Chi-hung (劉基鴻) injured a finger while attempting to catch a ball that bounced irregularly off the soil, the TPBPA said.
During Saturday’s game, Fubon Guardians outfielder Lin Che-hsuan (林哲瑄) injured his shoulder while fielding a ball, due to stones littering the field being kicked up during play, it said.
The TPBPA said in a statement that it “sincerely urges the league to consider temporarily suspending the scheduling of games” at the stadium to ensure a safe playing environment.
The city government yesterday said it would collect input from players and fans, and would make adjustments accordingly.
Commenting on the temporary closure, Wei Chuan Dragons head coach Yeh Chun-chang (葉君璋) said the stadium “currently has too many problems that pose a risk to players, but if the problems can be worked out, Hsinchu Baseball Stadium will be a great place to play.”
Former Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) on Saturday said on Facebook that the problems rest on his shoulders.
Lin, who resigned from the post to run as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan mayoral candidate, said that although he is no longer mayor, he would work with the city, the CPBL and the teams to see that improvements can be made at the stadium.
DPP Hsinchu mayoral candidate Shen Hui-hung (沈慧虹) said she was confident that the city government would respond to input from players and fans, and would work with the teams to resolve their issues.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶), the party’s Taoyuan mayoral candidate, yesterday said she supports the TPBPA’s position that safety should be the stadium’s top priority, but was skeptical of Lin’s ability to address the problem.
“Lin Chih-chien couldn’t get Hsinchu’s stadium right. Taoyuan’s stadium has also had its share of problems. Should the public trust it to Lin?” she said.
Additional reporting by Wu Ching-cheng, Tsai Chang-sheng and Lee Jung-ping
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS