The Uni-President Lions team played its first home game at Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium on May 16 since the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) gave green light for spectators to enter ballparks. Mayor Huang Wei-che was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Despite relaxed restrictions, the government and CPBL continues to take careful safety precaution and put out strict Covid-19 prevention and control measures— spectators must wear face masks, register their personal information upon entering, sit apart, and follow food and beverage rules.
Mayor Huang was very happy about throwing the first pitch, and even more, about how Taiwan is the first in the world to start its baseball season this year. While many major international sports games have been canceled or postponed, Taiwan is the first to allow 2,000 fans to attend live games with boxed-meals provided, indicating Taiwan’s achievement in curbing the pandemic. Also, Mayor Huang described Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium as a ballpark with both history and lots of creativity.
The Mayor also expressed his strong support for the English commentary broadcast for all Uni-President Lions games, stating that Tainan City Government is willing to provide all necessary assistance to keep the streaming going. Bringing Taiwanese baseball live in English to baseball fans around the world not only highlights Taiwan’s effective actions against the outbreak, but also is a great way to market Tainan to the world. Finally, the Mayor hopes that CPBL can lift all restrictions in near future, so that more baseball fans can come and cheer for the hard-working athletes.
English-language broadcast is provided by Eleven Sports Taiwan and available via livestream on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElevenSportsTW (Chrome Browser Recommended; this livestream is for the global audience, including those from Taiwan and the United States)