MAJOR LEAGUES
Tickets for two exhibition games featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers in Taiwan in March sold out in just six hours, an organizer said yesterday.
Fans swamped the Internet for 20,000 tickets priced from NT$500 to NT$5,000 that went on sale on Thursday, causing the ticketing system to go down temporarily, organizer Bros Sports Marketing Inc said.
Taiwan is counting on the star power of the Major League outfit to lift fans’ spirits after the nation’s favorite sport was hit by a string of match-fixing scandals.
The Dodgers are due to arrive in Taiwan on March 11 for a four-day visit during which they will play two exhibition games and do some coaching, the organizer said.
GO SEE KUO
The Dodgers first visited Taiwan in 1993 amid much fanfare and the local fan base for US Major League games has expanded, especially after home-grown talent made it to the league, including Dodgers relief pitcher Kuo Hong-chih.
In March 2008, the Dodgers and the Padres played two spring training games in Beijing, the first Major League games ever played in China.
Taiwanese authorities last year launched an investigation into the latest match-fixing allegations, resulting in the arrest of six bookies and former players.
Prosecutors have declined to say how many players are suspected of involvement in the alleged scam, but so far more than 20 have been questioned in the ongoing probe.
LARKIN COMING
In related news, former MLB player Barry Larkin will visit Taiwan from Monday until Feb. 7 as a sports envoy and will conduct baseball clinics around the country, the US Department of State said on Thursday.
Larkin, a retired shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, will be accompanied by Joseph Logan, a former Montreal Expos pitcher.
The two veterans are scheduled to conduct six baseball clinics and visit schools, orphanages and social service organizations in Taipei and Kaohsiung. They will also attend an exhibition baseball game between two Taipei high schools.
Larkin played shortstop for the Reds from 1986 through 2004. He was a key member of the Reds’ 1990 World Series championship team and was named the National League’s MVP in 1995.
This year, his first year of eligibility, Larkin placed fifth in the balloting for inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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