TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Major League Baseball's New York Mets hosted “AI Taiwan Day” at Citi Field, inviting Graphen CEO Lin Ching-yung (林清詠) to throw out the first pitch in a game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday (Aug. 17).

With two decades of history, the annual event honoring Taiwan faced the risk of cancelation this year. The Mets organization said earlier this year that it would no longer organize special events for ethnic groups, per CNA. 

Fortunately, the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of New York, New Jersey Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, and the Taiwanese Junior Chamber of Commerce of New York stepped in to buy their entire allotment of 1,400 tickets. Though it rained heavily during the game, the enthusiasm of Taiwanese supporters was not dampened.

Sam Lin (林慶甫), president of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in New York, said this year's event was only confirmed three months ago, leading to rushed preparations. He thanked overseas Taiwanese associations for their support. 

Lin said baseball is Taiwan’s national sport. He said the event title “AI Taiwan” represents “Love Taiwan” and serves as a nod to Taiwan’s prominent role in the artificial intelligence industry.

Graphen CEO Lin Ching-yung (林清詠) tossed out the first pitch. Lin was an IBM chief scientist before founding his own company, and he later led Graphen’s AI modeling to predict the spread of COVID-19.

Lin said he was an annual attendee of Mets Taiwan Day and was honored to throw the first pitch. He was also thrilled that Taiwan's AI industry was gaining international recognition.

Yeh Jia-ming (葉佳銘), a Taiwanese baseball fan from New Jersey, said he was aware that the event faced the risk of cancelation. He was touched to see the event return and felt it was similar to a reunion of Taiwanese friends and family living in the US.

For Huang Chao-chun (黃兆駿), a Taiwanese fan who has lived in New York for more than 10 years, the event is an opportunity for overseas Taiwanese to relieve their homesickness. He believes the event is meaningful and hopes it will continue for years.