The Fubon Guardians on Saturday lost 1-0 to the Wei Chuan Dragons in New Taipei City, but fans were more focused on how the game started than how it ended — with retired American pitcher Mike Loree returning for a one at-bat-only start as a local player.
The 38-year-old right-hander, who threw his first pitch for the Lamigo Monkeys (now the Rakuten Monkeys) in the CPBL in 2012, was the longest-serving foreign player in the league when he announced his retirement in August last year.
Many fans considered it a huge loss for Taiwanese baseball, given that the New Jersey native was on the verge of qualifying for the so-called “Loree rule.”
Photo: CNA
The rule, proposed by the Guardians and approved by the league in September 2020, allows a foreign player who has played in the CPBL’s major league for nine seasons to be identified as a local player, and so would not count against a team’s foreign-player limit.
However, Loree said he could not give the Guardians his full focus while his family was back in the US.
“I didn’t think that was right, to not be here 100 percent and thought that was the right decision to make to retire, because you have to be here 100 percent and I knew I couldn’t give that anymore,” he said at the time.
His last game was in September last year, but the Guardians on May 18 announced that the franchise planned to bring the veteran back to start for a single at-bat, making Loree the first foreign player to start as a local.
Saturday’s game, which the Guardian’s called “L39END: One and Only,” Loree threw five pitches to retire his former teammate Kao Hsiao-yi, including a 136kph fastball and three signature splitters, before walking away from the mound to the 8,339 strong crowd chanting for him to continue.
“I was nervous you know, that was a lot of fun,” said Loree, who had not pitched in a game for more than 250 days. “I was trying just to get out there and trying to do a good and quick job and hand the ball over.”
Loree said he was “very grateful” for being recognized, adding that his nine years in Taiwan “made me a better person in life.”
Kao, who played with Loree on the EDA Rhinos and the Guardians, said this was the first time he faced the pitcher in a game.
He praised Loree for staying competitive even after retiring and said it is a pity that his former teammate left the game.
“We all respect his decision, but it would mean a lot to the entire CPBL if he could keep playing as a local player,” said Kao, who painted No. 39 on his neck in honor of Loree.
During his career with the CPBL, Loree won two championships (2012 and 2016) and led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts in the same season twice (2015 and 2017).
To celebrate the veteran’s legacy, the Guardians franchise used special balls with Loree’s No. 39 jersey number, his name and the words “The Legend Of Fubon Guardians.” Each team is allowed to apply to use special balls once per season.
Loree’s one-third of an inning stint concluded in an anecdote. On his way to the dugout, he found the umpires waiting for him and thought they were there to congratulate him. Instead, he was asked to show his hands for them to check whether he had used any foreign substances.
“At first, I don’t know, they came over and said ‘hi’ or ‘congratulations,’ but I know, ‘Oh, that’s right.’ So they checked my glove and my hand, and then they also said ‘congratulations,’” Loree said.
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