Professional baseball player Mario Encarnacion of the Dominican Republic was found dead yesterday morning in his dormitory. The cause of death is not yet known pending an autopsy, but investigators said his room had not been broken into and that a post-mortem examination found no signs of external injury.
Encarnacion played with the Chinese Professional Baseball League's (CPBL) Macoto Cobras.
At a press conference held yesterday afternoon, CPBL secretary-general Lee Wen-ping (
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee said Encarnacion explained to the league that he had taken weight-loss medicine which may have contained steroids. Encarnacion was worried that his weight was affecting his performance.
But Lee warned the media not to jump to conclusions.
"Before prosecutors finish an investigation, please do not suspect that his death was related to him taking medicines prohibited by the league," Lee said.
Investigators said an autopsy would be conducted in a few days to determine the cause of death.
A Cobras coach, Lu Ming-shih (
"Encarnacion had asked not to attend the team's routine training over the weekend because of his serious gastroenteritis," Lu said.
Lu said that Encarnacion did not appear yesterday morning when the team gathered in front of the dormitory in Tamsui (
Encarnacion lived a simple life in Taiwan, according to Lu, and was not believed to have any drug or alcohol addiction.
"The team has lost a great player," Lu said.
Encarnacion, a 30-year-old right-handed central fielder from the Dominican Republic, had played for the Cobras since April. This season he hit 17 home runs, ranking number two in the league.
Encarnacion played for the US professional baseball team the Colorado Rockies in 2001, and for the Chicago Cubs in 2002.
He came to Taiwan earlier this year.
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