Chen Chieh-hsien, Taiwan’s captain at last year’s World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, on Sunday said he hopes his appearance in local advertisements since leading his team to a historic championship will spur domestic players to strive for excellence.
“This can set a goal for younger players. If you work hard and maintain a good image, you can increase your income through endorsements. It’s great that we, as baseball players, can showcase our influence on businesses,” Chen said at a public event in Taipei, adding that this is a common goal among his teammates.
Chen, named Most Valuable Player of the WBSC’s flagship tournament, has been hailed as the new face of Taiwan’s CPBL due to his growing influence on and off the field.
Photo: CNA
Chen has endorsed products from shampoo and scooters to water heaters. Since last month, he has also graced the pages of the Taiwan editions of Vogue, GQ and Elle, the latter of which featured him on the cover of its January special edition.
The recent success has fueled discussion about Chen’s chances of playing overseas.
“I embrace all opportunities,” the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions outfielder said.
Since the Premier12 in November last year, Chen has on multiple occasions discussed the brevity of an athlete’s professional career, saying that his goal is to maximize his value while he can, a sentiment shared by many players.
The five-time CPBL All-Star said that he has not ruled out entering the free agent market at the end of the year to explore offers from other teams.
“It’s natural for players to want to know their true value. It’s one of our motivations. If our skills get recognized, we can earn more to improve our lives and support our families. This is why we play,” he said.
The Lions have expressed their determination to keep and have started early contract negotiations.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS