TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (統一獅) will host a farewell fan meeting for star outfielder Lin An-ko (林安可) on Saturday (Jan. 11) as he departs for Japan's NPB. The event takes place at 2 p.m. at Tainan Baseball Stadium, marking the end of Lin's tenure with Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL, 中華職棒). Lin signed a three-year contract worth NT$120 million (around US$3.85 million) with the Saitama Seibu Lions (埼玉西武獅) in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Lin joined the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions as the first pick in the 2019 CPBL midseason draft and became a prominent figure in Taiwanese baseball. The outfielder achieved a career batting average of .287 with 112 home runs during his time with the team. Lin earned rookie of the year, Home Run King, and RBI leader titles in 2020, and the Saitama Seibu Lions announced his signing in late November after he exercised his right to become a free agent abroad.
Lin earned two-time CPBL Best Ten Outfielder honors in 2020 and 2021, establishing himself as a star player for the Lions. The outfielder is expected to contribute to the Chinese Taipei team, Taiwan's national baseball squad, in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March despite his departure. Lin's home run against pitcher Yokoyama Riku (橫山陸人) during last year's Premier12 at Tokyo Dome caught the attention of Japanese media. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.2)