Taiwan needs to build more indoor stadiums in other major cities to sustain the growth of baseball, CPBL president Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said on Wednesday, ahead of the national team traveling to Japan tomorrow to compete in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament.
Taipei Dome “is the only one right now, which is not enough. We wish to see a second and third one for cities in the northern and southern regions,” Tsai said about the success of the nation’s only indoor stadium for baseball.
“In Taiwan, we have hot weather and it rains frequently, so playing baseball at outdoor ballparks are often disrupted by natural conditions,” he said. “Having more domed stadiums would mitigate the many issues the league’s six clubs are facing, and allow fans to have more enjoyable experiences during games.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Since using the Taipei Dome in 2024, the CPBL has seen an attendance record of more than 10,000 people on average per game, he added.
Tsai also provided updates on Team Taiwan’s training and schedules for this year’s WBC tournament in Japan, and said the games against Australia and South Korea were the keys to advancing to the WBC finals in the US.
Taiwan is currently gripped by a baseball fever, with sports fans following news on players and preparations.
Team Taiwan would play two friendly games in Japan’s Miyazaki City on Monday and Tuesday next week, ahead of their Group C game on Thursday.
Taiwan’s Group C games would take place in the Tokyo Dome, where it would face against Australia on the first day, Japan on Friday, the Czech Republic on Saturday and South Korea on Sunday.
Tsai reminded Taiwanese fans to purchase individual tickets or group packages from authorized agencies, and to only carry small flags.
According to WBC rules, national flags must not exceed 50cm in width and length, so as not to disrupt other people’s viewing experience, he said.
Given the popularity of baseball among Taiwanese, especially during international competitions, the CPBL and the CTBA have organized “fan-zone” gatherings in Japan and in major cities in Taiwan, where giant screens would be set up for live viewing of the national squad’s WBC games.
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