BASEBALL/Taiwanese catcher Lyle Lin signs with Japan's Nippon-Ham Fighters

Taipei, March 12 (CNA) Taiwanese catcher Lyle Lin (林家正) has signed a contract with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's professional baseball league, becoming the third Taiwanese player on the Hokkaido-based team.

The 28-year-old Lin, who was released from the Oakland Athletics' Double-A affiliate last July, had signed with a team in a U.S.-based independent baseball league earlier this month before representing Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

In a statement issued Thursday, however, the Nippon-Ham Fighters announced they had bought out Lin's contract, and that he would join the team wearing No. 38.

Kida Masao, the team's acting general manager, said the team has watched Lin since inviting him for tryouts last fall, and decided to sign him after seeing his solid performance in the WBC.

In a post on his Facebook page, Lin confirmed that he had signed with the Fighters and would soon join the team's spring training. He thanked the sport of baseball for taking him from Taiwan to the U.S., Canada, Australia and now Japan.

"I'll continue to absorb knowledge and skills, so that I can have the opportunity to give back to my home, Taiwan," Lin said in the post.

In signing with the Fighters, Lin will join pitchers Gu Lin Ruei-yang (古林睿煬) and Sun Yi-Lei (孫易磊) as the team's third Taiwanese player.

The terms of his contract have not been made public.