Prosecutors have launched an investigation into alleged flaws and substandard work at the Hsinchu Baseball Stadium, after games there were suspended due to unsafe conditions that have led to injuries.
The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that it has started gathering information and is planning to question the contractor, Gigabest Construction Co (巨佳營造); Hsinchu City Government officials; Wei Chuan Dragons executives; and baseball league representatives.
Prosecutors said they want to find out why the ballpark was allowed to open for CPBL games last weekend despite not having passed official inspections.
Photo: CNA
They would look into possible collusion, negligence and misconduct by the city government and Gigabest, as well as details of the operating agreement between the Dragons and the league, they said.
Gigabest won the city’s public tender in 2019 for a three-year project to renovate the ballpark at a cost of NT$1.2 billion (US$40 million at the current exchange rate), with NT$825 million going to the ballpark and the rest earmarked for building an underground parking lot.
Fubon Guardians outfielder Lin Che-hsuan (林哲瑄) is likely to miss the rest of this season due to a shoulder injury he sustained when making a diving catch during Saturday’s game at the ball park.
Lin is the third player to sustain an injury at the stadium following the renovation. Wei Chuan Dragons fielder Chang Yu-ming (張祐銘) slipped on the base path the day before and third baseman Liu Chi-hung (劉基鴻) injured a finger when fielding a bouncing ball.
The soil and sand used for the infield reportedly pose safety risks, while the quality of the grass surface is substandard, and there are pebbles and gravel in the outfield.
CPBL officials have postponed Sunday’s game at the stadium and suspended all further games until the flaws are fixed.
It said it would conduct an inspection to ensure the ballpark meets safety standards.
It would prioritize changing the entire grass surface, as well as improving sand and soil quality on the infield and pitching mound, the league said.
The Taiwan Professional Baseball Players Association (TPBPA) had earlier called on the CPBL to suspend games at the stadium, citing problems with the field surface, grass and soil.
The league and ball clubs must ensure a safe playing environment at ballparks, it said.
Former Hsinchu City mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅), who is the Democratic Progressive Party mayoral candidate for Taoyuan, apologized in a statement, saying: “The ballpark’s reopening was not perfect, and I shall shoulder all the responsibility.”
“There is much room for improvement, and Hsinchu City Government officials with their working teams will quickly make the necessary changes and fix the problems. They will ensure the safety of players and restore public confidence in the ballpark,” he wrote.
Lin said the operations of the ballpark had been handed over to the Wei Chuan Dragons, which in 2020 signed a 10-year operate-transfer agreement with an option for a five-year extension.
The club agreed to pay an annual rent of NT$1 million for the ballpark and must spend NT$10 million for hardware maintenance through the agreement period.
“The agreement was signed between the city government and the club on May 19, 2020, and both sides have since worked closely on the renovation,” Lin wrote.
The club and city officials have checked the progress at the ballpark three times since May, he said, adding that club executives and CPBL officials inspected the facility last month.
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