TRAILBLAZER:The ‘Big Cannon’ was the first Taiwanese ballplayer to appear in the major leagues in the US when he debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 14, 2002
Taipei Times
Date: Jul 18, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Fans and fellow players paid tribute to baseball veteran Chen Chin-feng at the CPBL All-Star
Chen Chin-feng, front, waves to the crowd after the CPBL All-Star Game at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City on Saturday. Chen’s Red Team beat the White Team 8-6 in the mid-season showdown. Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Weekend, where he led the Red Team to a 8-6 win over the White Team on Saturday night, with the crowd in the ballpark chanting Chen’s name in unison when he came out to bat.
For spectators and officials at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City, the All-Star Game turned into a testimonial for Chen, the first Taiwanese to play in the major leagues when he made his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 14, 2002.
Chen, known as the “Big Cannon” for his power and clutch homers at international tournaments, struggled to remain in the Dodgers lineup and he returned to Taiwan to join the La New Bears in 2006.
After 11 season in the CPBL, the latest with the Lamigo Monkeys, Chen announced that he would retire at the end of this year and that it would be his final All-Star Weekend. [FULL STORY]
