BASEBALL/Record-high crowd attends Chou Szu-chi farewell game at Taipei Dome

Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) No team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday.

A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi's (周思齊) first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday.

This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early August, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome's overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the Yomiuri Giants from the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Playing first as the designated hitter, Chou did not reach base and struck out once in his four plate appearances.

When asked about the arrangement, Brothers manager Keiichi Hirano said he knew many fans would come to see Chou play, and the bottom line was to "ensure fans enjoy the show."

Chou's hitless night did not stop the Brothers from defeating the Wei Chuan Dragons 4-2 and reducing their magic number for the second half of the 2024 season to six.

The event also featured members of Chou's first team the Macoto Cobras, whom Chou said he had not seen for many years, as he remains the only active player from that franchise.

Talking to the press before the game, Chou said the time he spent with the Cobras is "worth writing down in books," calling it a shame they went their separate ways when the team disbanded abruptly without bidding farewell to fans properly.

"Somehow, I think it's my duty to represent [the Cobras]. On one hand, I was just an inexperienced newcomer back then, and it was thanks to the help of these Cobras senior players that I'm standing here today," he said.

Now 42 and the oldest player in the league, Chou made his CPBL debut in 2005 and has played for four teams over 20 seasons: the Cobras (2005-07), the dmedia T-Rex (2008), the Brother Elephants (2009-13), and the Brothers (since 2014), with the first three having been disbanded.

As of Saturday, Chou has played in 1,761 games, collecting 1,804 hits, 144 home runs, 948 RBIs, and 100 stolen bases, making him the ninth player in CPBL's 35-year history to achieve at least 1,000 hits, 100 home runs, and 100 stolen bases.

A three-time champion and the 2012 season MVP, Chou said he feels very lucky. "Being able to achieve these records has exceeded my imagination."

Set to turn 43 in late October, he expressed hope that the Brothers will win the championship this year, as his teammates promised.

The Brothers will host the Dragons again at the Taipei Dome on Sunday for the second of Chou's farewell games, featuring former teammates from the Elephants and Brothers.