BASEBALL/Steven Moya drops CPBL All-Star Game following wife's death

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) Tainan TSG Hawks slugger Steven Moya, who is leading Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in home runs, has withdrawn from the 2025 All-Star Game after the unexpected death of his wife.

Moya's wife began feeling severely unwell aboard a plane that landed at Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening. She was rushed to the hospital for treatment but passed away, the Hawks said in a statement on Saturday.

The franchise is assisting Moya with funeral arrangements and hopes fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the All-Star Game can understand his decision to withdraw.

According to Landseed Medical Clinic, whose staff attempted to save Moya's wife, she had no vital signs during the flight. The plane's crew tried to resuscitate her before landing.

She was taken to the emergency room around 8:15 p.m. and doctors used extracorporeal membrane oxygenation early Saturday morning. Her death was confirmed at 7:32 a.m. on Saturday, the hospital said.

In 2024, Moya's first season with the Hawks, he led the league in home runs (30) and RBIs (99) while being crowned champion of the All-Star Home Run Derby.

He has hit 19 home runs and driven in 47 RBIs in the ongoing 2025 season, ranking first and second, respectively, in the two categories.

Previously, Moya had announced his decision to withdraw from this year's Home Run Derby to avoid aggravating a collarbone injury.

Now 33, Moya played for the Detroit Tigers in MLB between 2014 and 2016 before moving on to Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the Mexican League. He joined the Hawks in 2024.

The CPBL All-Star Game weekend will take place from Saturday through Sunday at the Taipei Dome.