TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will face off against South Korea’s Lotte Giants in two exhibition games on Feb. 12 and 13 at Taipei Dome as part of preparations for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifier.
Founded in 1982, the Lotte Giants are one of South Korea’s most renowned professional baseball teams, based in Busan. Their roster includes former Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes. The team claimed league titles in 1984 and 1992 but has recently struggled in the bottom tier of Korea’s 10-team league.
Details about the exhibition games will be revealed at a press conference on Feb. 4, with tickets going on sale the following day. Tickets will be priced at NT$880 (US$27) and NT$480, according to CNA.
The official 35-player roster for Team Taiwan is expected to be announced on Feb. 3 when training begins. Team Taiwan Manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒) has indicated that the lineup will be markedly different from the Premier12 championship team, with only team captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) and catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) confirmed for both the exhibition games and the WBC qualifier.
Taiwan Professional Baseball League Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) stated that Team Taiwan will train at Taipei Dome leading up to the exhibition games. The games will feature cheerleading squads from both Taiwan and Korea to enhance the fan experience.
After the exhibition matches, the team will move to Tianmu Baseball Stadium for additional training before returning to Taipei Dome for the WBC qualifier, scheduled from Feb. 21-25. Competing teams include Taiwan, Spain, South Africa, and Nicaragua.
The tournament follows a round-robin format, with the first-place team automatically advancing to the next round. The second- and third-place teams will face off on Feb. 25 for the final qualifying spot.
Tickets for the WBC qualifier are nearly sold out. Only a few single tickets for the first day of competition (Feb. 21) and limited seats for the second- and third-place playoff (Feb. 25) remain available.
