TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japanese professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham-Fighters announced a series of exhibition games against Taiwanese professional teams, the Uni-Lions and the CTBC Brothers, as part of the Taiwan Series scheduled for March next year, per CNA.
A press conference in Taipei on Monday announced the upcoming series, with Nippon Ham-Fighter star player Kiyomiya Kotaro in attendance as well as Uni-Lions outfielder Lin An-ko (林安可) and CTBC Brothers' captain Wang Wei-Chen (王威晨).
The Nippon Ham-Fighters are scheduled to play the Uni-Lions on March 1 and take on the CTBC Brothers on March 2. Both games are scheduled for the Taipei Dome with tickets going on sale on Dec. 25 at noon.
Kiyomiya said his participation in the recently concluded Premier12 tournament was an unforgettable experience with Taiwan’s fans being so loud that Japanese players could not hear each other in their own dugout. He was also impressed so many fans knew all the cheerleader songs and dances.
Kiyomiya said one of his fondest memories was eating Taiwanese hot pot. He had it during the previous Premier12 competition and just before the press conference. Kiyomiya said with a smile that he could still feel the heat of the hot pot in his stomach.
Representing the Uni-Lions team, Lin hoped that Kiyomiya would have a chance to visit historical sites in Uni-Lion's hometown of Tainan and taste its famous beef hot pot. Meanwhile, CTBC Brothers' captain Wang said Kiyomiya should try some stinky tofu and boba milk tea instead of having more hot pot.
Kiyomiya declined the offer of stinky tofu as he said the smell was too intense, and there was no way he could eat it.
The upcoming arrival of the Nippon Ham-Fighters comes after Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants participated in a similar exhibition against Taiwan’s professional league earlier this year. Kiyomiya said his team's upcoming visit will be another step toward more baseball exchange between Japan and Taiwan.