Wei Chuan Dragons

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (January 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Wei Chuan Dragons
Information
League	Chinese Professional Baseball League
Location	Taipei (1989–1999, 2021–) Hsinchu City (2022–)
Ballpark	Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium (1989–1999) Tianmu Baseball Stadium (2021–) Hsinchu CKS Baseball Stadium (2022–) Douliu Baseball Stadium (2019–) (training base)
Year founded	1989 2019 (refound)
League championships	1990 2nd Half 1991 1st Half 1996 2nd Half 1997 2nd Half
Taiwan Series championships	1990, 1997, 1998, 1999
Colors	Red
Uniforms
Home Away

The Wei Chuan Dragons (Chinese: 味全龍; pinyin: Wèiquán Lóng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bī-chôan-liông) are a professional baseball team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) that originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations regarding the franchise's revival and return to the CPBL took place. The team is to play one season of minor league baseball prior to rejoining the CPBL.^[1]

Brief history[]

Wei Chuan Dragons uniform

This team had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in late 1970s. After these student players graduated, Wei-Chuan formed an amateur team to allow them to continue playing baseball in 1978; it was this team that later professionalized to become one of the first four teams of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Because of its long Amateur history, its games often drew large attendances, and games with Brother Elephants, another popular team, were often sold-out. This team took the now-demolished Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium as its home throughout its history.

This club won CPBL championships four times in 1990, 1997, 1998, and 1999, and became the team with most CPBL championships after the 1999 season ended. After the 1999 season, Wei Chuan Food Corporation announced its decision to disband the club,^[2] mainly due to:

• Threats from local criminal gangs (Wei Chuan Dragons's then manager Hsu Sheng-ming was attacked in April 1999)
• The financial loss brought about by CPBL's game-fixing scandals since 1996
• Ting Hsin International Group became the largest (40%) shareholder of Wei Chuan Food Corporation in 1998. The new Ting Hsin management did not show high interest in supporting the baseball club.

The disbandment shocked many local fans and a procession was even raised against the decision. However the Wei Chuan Food Corporation did not change its mind. Most Wei Chuan Dragons' coaches and players later found their new homes at Sinon Bulls or Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala. CPBL also did not fine those former Wei Chuan players and coaches who returned with Macoto Gida and First Financial Holdings Agan before the 2003 season started, because they did not leave CPBL voluntarily.

Records[]

Regular Seasons

Playoffs

Roster[]

Notable former players[]

• José Canó
• Silvestre Campusano
• Munenori Kawasaki
• Joe Strong
• Chang Tai-Shan
• Freddie Toliver

See also[]

• The Black Eagles Incident
• China Times Eagles
• Mercuries Tigers

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wei Chuan Dragons.

• Wei Chuan Dragons in Taiwan Baseball Wiki (in Traditional Chinese)
• Wei Chuan Food Corporation official website
• Wei Chuan Dragons Official Website