CPBL president Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) has pledged to reflect on the national team’s rule violations during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers last month, which resulted in a US$20,000 fine.
Tsai made the statement on Tuesday, one day after he confirmed that the league had received a notification of the fine from the MLB, the tournament organizer, for bringing electronic devices into the dugout and allowing unauthorized personnel to enter restricted areas.
Speaking to reporters, Tsai, whose league assembled the national team, admitted the mistakes, but emphasized that he was not in the dugout during the qualifier series at the Taipei Dome late last month.
Photo: CNA
“I wasn’t there, [but] I asked our league’s staff, and they told me the items were there,” Tsai said, declining to comment on whether the league had misunderstood the rules.
Saying “I have nothing to say [about this],” Tsai added. “We accept the fine in accordance with the rules.”
Each team was allocated 39 official credentials allowing access to the dugout during games, with 28 for players and the remaining 11 distributed at the team’s discretion.
Apart from breaking the ban on electronic devices, Taiwan was also found to have exceeded the personnel limit.
The CPBL on Monday acknowledged that the team violated the electronics rule during their opening game against Spain on Feb. 21.
It also admitted to breaking another regulation by allowing unlisted staff into the team locker room.
Tournament officials reported that more individuals were present in Taiwan’s locker room than the 39 credentialed by organizers.
The unauthorized personnel, including medical staff and equipment managers, were warned not to enter the area again.
However, according to sources familiar with the matter, MLB staff discovered electronic devices in the dugout again the following day before the game against South Africa.
This prompted a warning from WBC president Jim Small, who said the team could face disqualification if it violates the rules again, including the use of electronic devices.
When asked whether the team deliberately took in and used the devices, Tsai reiterated that, due to his absence, he had little knowledge of the situation.
“All I can tell you is what I learned from MLB. If the MLB said we did it intentionally, then I would let you know,” he said.
Tsai noted that tournament organizers enforced the rules and regulations “extremely strictly” this time, compared with the 2023 WBC Pool A games held in central Taiwan.
He added that the league took immediate corrective action to ensure there is no repetition of the violations.
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