Play Ball! Professional Baseball in Taiwan

MLB players like Wang Chien-ming (also known as Chien-ming Wang in the US) have made baseball a favorite pastime in Taiwan.

What Is the Chinese Professional Baseball League?

The CPBL was founded in 1989 in Taiwan. The CPBL's first game was played in 1990 between the Uni-President Lions and the Brother Elephants. The Lions defeated the Elephants 4-3.

Each Taiwan baseball team plays 120 games with the season divided into two parts. The baseball season begins in mid-March and ends with the playoffs in October. The winners of the half-season move on to the post-season. Each team has up to 25 players including up to four foreign players. A maximum of two foreign players can play simultaneously on the field.

What Teams Play in the CBL?

While the number of teams has fluctuated, the league includes four teams:

• Brother Elephants

• La new Bears

• Sinon Bulls

• Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions

In 1997, two teams, Chinatrust Whales and the Macoto COBRAS, were suspended amid allegations of game fixing. The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions have the best record with seven championships, followed by the Brother Elephants with six championships, Sinon Bulls with two championships and La new Bears with one championship.