BASEBALL/CTBC Brothers' Chou Szu-chi to retire after 2024 CPBL season

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Chou Szu-chi (周思齊), a former MVP of Taiwan's professional baseball league, will hang up his cleats after the end of the 2024 season with the CTBC Brothers, the franchise said in a statement Monday.

The Brothers will hold a press conference to formally announce Chou's retirement on Friday at CTBC Financial Park in Taipei.

A third-round draft pick by the now-disbanded Macoto Cobras, Chou made his debut in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in 2005 and stayed with the franchise for three years before it was taken over by the dmedia T-Rex in 2008.

Chou started playing for the Brother Elephants in the 2009 season and grew into a franchise icon by staying with the team for the rest of his career, including when CTBC took over the team from the Brother Hotel in late 2013.

Sporting a .307 average over 1,738 regular-season games, Chou has been selected to the CPBL All-Star Game 13 times, from 2008 to 2019 and in 2023.

Now 42 years old, Chou is the oldest active player in the league, and he is among several players who have announced their retirements during the offseason.

Chou's teammate Kuan Ta-yuan (官大元), whom he played with from 2011 to 2023, announced his retirement on Nov. 27, 2023.

On Sunday, the Brothers announced they will hold a retirement ceremony for the 40-year-old pitcher in their game at the Taipei Dome on April 4.

Similarly, the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions confirmed the retirement of Kao Kuo-ching (高國慶) last December and said the 45-year-old first baseman will transition to a coaching position this year.

Another Uni-Lions legend, Pan Wei-lun (潘威倫), will call it a career after completing his 22nd season in the pros.

He is the CPBL's all-time winningest pitcher with 148 wins, and is expected to start in his retirement game with the TSG Hawks on Sept. 28 at the Taipei Dome.