As the second half of the 2024 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) season progresses, here is a look at the top news and notes from the last week in Taiwan’s highest level of professional baseball.
Uni-Lions New Stadium to Have Artificial Turf
CPBL Stats on X reports that the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadium, likely to be the next home stadium for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, will have artificial turf. The stadium is undergoing construction and is on pace to be finished by September 2024.
However, Tainan City announced the new completion date of the Uni-Lions future home is February 2025. The Lions play their home games at Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium in South District, Tainan, Taiwan, which has been their home field since 1990.
The five Major League Baseball Stadiums with artificial turf are Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks), Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers), loanDepotPark (Miami Marlins), Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays), and Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays).
Japanese SP Masaki Takashio Makes CPBL Debut
Masaki Takashio became the first foreign player to go through the CPBL mid-season draft just a few weeks ago. The 35-year-old from Japan will not take a foreign player spot on the Uni-Lions roster.
On Sunday, he made his CPBL debut, facing five batters in the top of the ninth. He worked a relatively clean inning, allowing one hit and one walk, but did not allow a run. Takashio worked out of trouble by inducing two ground balls and a popup after a leadoff double. The Uni-Lions defeated the Wei Chuan Dragons 8-1.
Takashio has previous experience playing professional baseball outside of Japan, making nine appearances for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League during the 2014-15 season.
Fubon Guardians Release RHP Brandon Brennan
The Fubon Guardians released American pitcher Brandon Brennan on Friday after playing 14 underwhelming games with the club. The former Seattle Mariner and Boston Red Sox relief pitcher went 2-6 with a 5.34 ERA in 64 innings.
Brennan managed 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings but also walked 4.6 batters per nine. He’s never been much of a strikeout pitcher, but those are uninspiring numbers for a Guardians team in first place in the second half of the season.
Brennan has previous pitching experience in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2023 with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos and posted solid numbers, so returning to Mexico is an option. Otherwise, another CPBL team could find interest in a pitcher with 57.2 MLB innings in his back pocket.
This Day in Taiwanese Baseball History
On July 31, 2013, Taiwanese relief pitcher Chia-Jen Lo made his MLB debut for the Houston Astros. In an 11-0 win against the Baltimore Orioles, Lo pitched one scoreless inning and recorded one strikeout.
Lo made 19 appearances for the Astros in 2013, his lone season in MLB. He posted a 4.19 ERA in 19.1 innings and struck out 16. The Astros finished the season 51-111.
Lo pitched for the EDA Rhinos/Fubon Guardians in the CPBL from 2014-19. During the 2018-19 season, he made seven appearances for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League.
CPBL Standings as of Wednesday, July 31
You can watch every CPBL game on DAZN.
Photo Credit: Chia-Jen Lo #63 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on September 6, 2013 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Astros 7-5. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
