BASEBALL/Taiwanese company proposes turning Premier12 championship journey into film

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) A Taiwanese company outlined a proposal to bring Team Taiwan's historic championship run at the WBSC Premier12 in November to the big screen, in invitations sent out Thursday for a press conference scheduled on Dec. 17.

The invitations were sent by Simon Chen (陳立白), chairman of ADATA Technology Co.

The company announced it has also invited Team Taiwan's players and coaching staff, as well as Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), president of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), to attend the event.

Chen's firm has previously secured the rights to issue sports lotteries for two terms, sponsored high school esports teams, and supported events such as the Taroko Marathon.

The Premier12 championship, which marked Taiwan's first-ever title at a major senior-level international baseball tournament, has also boosted the profile of Team Taiwan manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒). On Friday, the Rakuten Monkeys announced they had re-signed Tseng to a multi-year contract.

Tseng, who became the Monkeys' general manager in 2020 after the franchise won three consecutive championships as the Lamigo Monkeys, was demoted to the team's minor league operations after the Monkeys finished runners-up in the 2023 season.

Since the end of the Premier12, there have been rumors several teams were interested in signing Tseng. However, Tseng told reporters on Friday that while he had discussions with certain teams, they were merely exchanges of ideas.

He declined to disclose contract details before Rakuten officially announces them.

The Monkey's decision to re-sign Tseng came one day after the departure of 2019 CPBL MVP Chu Yu-hsien (朱育賢), who agreed to join the Wei Chuan Dragons on a four-year deal worth up to NT$48 million (US$1.48 million).

When asked about Chu's departure, Tseng said no matter where Chu plays their shared goal remains to enhance the competitiveness of Taiwanese baseball.

"The bottom line now is to do it well," he said.