Taiwan professional baseball - Definition and Overview

Taiwan professional baseball was started in 1989 by the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL 中華職業棒球聯盟). During the late 1990s, game-fixing scandals involving gangs caused the league to decline. During a row over broadcasting rights, another league, the Taiwan Major League (TML 台湾大聯盟), was created by a television tycoon to compete with CPBL. The two leagues merged in 2003.

CPBL Teams

Current

• Brother Elephants (兄弟象)
• Chinatrust Whales (中信鯨)
• La New Bears (La New 熊)
• Macato Cobras (誠泰COBRAS)
• Sinon Bulls (興農牛)
• Uni-President Lions (統一獅)

Teams are owned by and named for large Taiwanese companies, as in Japan. They do not have home stadiums or cities.

Defunct

• Chinatimes Eagles (時報鷹)
• Jungo Bears (俊國熊)
• Mercuries Tigers (三商虎)
• Wei Chuan Dragons (味全龍)

Championship by season

CPBL

• 1990: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Mercuries Tigers, 4-2
• 1991: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-3
• 1992: Brother Elephants (by winning both half-seasons)
• 1993: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-2
• 1994: Brother Elephants (by winning both half-seasons)
• 1995: Uni-President Lions (by winning both half-seasons)
• 1996: Uni-President Lions defeated Wei Chuan Dragons, 4-2
• 1997: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatimes Eagles, 4-2
• 1998: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
• 1999: Wei Chuan Dragons defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-1
• 2000: Uni-President Lions defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-3
• 2001: Brother Elephants defeated Uni-President Lions, 4-3
• 2002: Brother Elephants defeated Chinatrust Whales, 4-0
• 2003: Brother Elephants defeated Sinon Bulls, 4-2

External links

• history of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (http://www.cpbl.com.tw/html/english/cpbl.asp)
• Taiwanese Baseball Primer (http://baseballguru.com/andrewwong/taiwanesebaseballprimer.html)

Example Usage of professional