BASEBALL/All-time CPBL home run leader Ngayaw‧Ake' to retire in September

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Wei Chuan Dragons slugger Ngayaw‧Ake' (林智勝), who holds the all-time record for home runs in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), is set to call it a career in September.

The Wei Chuan franchise said Monday that it will mark Ngayaw‧Ake's retirement during its Taipei Dome series from Sept. 5 to 7 against the TSG Hawks, and it invited fans to celebrate the illustrious career spanning more than two decades of this CPBL legend.

"I hope I can pass down my spirit to younger baseball fans when I take off my jersey," said Ngayaw‧Ake' at a press conference announcing his retirement.

"It's not to create another Ngayaw‧Ake', but to help them reinvent themselves so they can surpass Ngayaw‧Ake'."

Ngayaw‧Ake' first confirmed his plan to retire in 2025 in early February.

On Monday, the 43-year-old veteran called on fans attending the games in September to shout out their "love and support," "because I have no idea whether I will ever hear you say these things again in the future."

"Ngayaw‧Ake' has definitely set an example in the CPBL. He is a treasure of Taiwanese baseball. I expect him to become a coach and leverage the impact of his skills after retiring," said Wei Ying-chung (魏應充), founder of Wei Chuan's parent company.

Since the Taipei Dome opened at the end of 2023, CPBL teams have tended to honor their veterans by holding their retirement series at the country's sole indoor baseball stadium.

However, Ngayaw‧Ake', who grew up in an Indigenous Amis family, previously expressed his wish to play his last game at Cheng Ching Lake Baseball Stadium in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, where he made his CPBL debut in 2004.

"That is the place where my pro career began," he said, adding that he would nonetheless respect the franchise's decision.

Ngayaw‧Ake', who led the league in home runs three times, is the only player in CPBL history with 300 home runs. He achieved that feat in the 2023 season.

As of the end of 2024, he had 304 homers, 1,231 RBI, and 1,846 hits in 1,689 games.

In the 2015 season, he left his mark as the first player in the league to record at least 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and a .300 batting average in a season, posting 31 homers, 30 stolen bases, and a .380 average to earn MVP honors.

Ngayaw‧Ake' has also earned recognition with his glove, being named the shortstop on the CPBL all-pro team (called the "Best Nine" award) six times from 2006 to 2015.

On Monday, Ngayaw‧Ake' revealed that he had considered retiring at different times over the past four years but changed his mind because he felt good during offseason training.

He eventually decided to call it a career after winning the CPBL minor league championship last season, and discussed the idea with his agent and the Dragons during the offseason.

He played in only 28 games in the CPBL major league in 2024, the fewest in a single season in his career.

"This year is the best time. Thanks to the WBSC Premier12 championship, all eyes are back on baseball now," Ngayaw‧Ake' explained, referencing Team Taiwan's first world championship in a major senior-level baseball tournament in November 2024.

Speaking of his mindset in the twilight of his career, the 18-time All-Star said he felt "rather peaceful," as the start of his pro career represents the beginning of a new chapter in his life.

For now, "I'm going to savor each moment on the field this year," he said.