Taiwanese baseball legend Peng Cheng-min has stepped down as manager of the CTBC Brothers due to health concerns, the franchise said in a statement yesterday.
Peng will serve as the manager and supervisor of the Brothers’ team in the minor league of the CPBL, the statement said, adding that hitting coach Keiichi Hirano of Japan would take over.
It is the second managerial change by the Brothers in the past year and makes Hirano the franchise’s eighth manager in a decade.
Photo: CNA
“I feel sorry that I failed to lead the CTBC Brothers to the playoffs this season and I told the franchise I will take responsibility right after the season concluded,” Peng wrote on Instagram.
“However, due to my health issues, I decided to go to the minors to give my body a chance to recover and strengthen myself professionally after discussions with my family, doctor and the franchise,” Peng wrote, thanking the team for giving him the opportunity.
Brothers general manager Liu Chih-wei in an interview declined to detail Peng’s condition out of respect for his privacy, but denied that he was replaced because of the team’s performance under his leadership.
Peng took over as manager from Lin Wei-chu in the middle of May when the Brothers were 10-15-1 and tied for last place in the five-team league with the Fubon Guardians.
After that, the Brothers were 47-43-4, the second-best record in the league during that stretch, but it was not good enough to get them into the playoffs in October.
The Brothers were CPBL champions in 2021 and last year with Lin at the helm.
Liu said the franchise had hoped Peng would stay on as manager and was looking forward to his return, but felt that his health should be the top priority.
Meanwhile, Lin, who has served as the Brothers’ overseas development counselor since May, is to leave the organization along with minor-league base-running coach Hsu Feng-pun.
“We respect the two coaches’ decisions and sincerely appreciate their contributions to the franchise,” the club said.
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