TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Baseball fans flocked to buy tickets for the CPBL All-Star Game (中職明星賽), set for July 19 and 20 at the Taipei Dome (台北大巨蛋), with tickets selling out in just one hour. The CPBL announced Wednesday (June 25) that over 70,000 tickets were sold for the two-day event, showcasing the game's immense popularity.
Tickets went on sale at noon, and the limited 252-seat special zone for each game, priced at NT$4,080, sold out instantly. Last year's All-Star Game at the same venue drew record crowds, with 33,688 and 28,666 attendees over two days, totaling 62,354 people.
This year's event features TEAM STAR, led by Hirano Keiichi (平野惠一), facing off against TEAM TAIWAN, led by Tseng Hao-chu (曾豪駒). Mike Chiang (江坤宇), the Chinatrust Brothers' (中信兄弟) shortstop, has been named the All-Star Game's most popular player for the second time, amassing over 660,000 fan votes.
TEAM TAIWAN includes retiring stars Lin Chih-sheng (林智勝) and Hu Chin-lung (胡金龍), with Lin set to participate in the home run derby. Fans eagerly anticipate the showdown between these star-studded teams, with the event promising to be a highlight of the baseball season.