The CPBL All-Star Game is coming back to the capital city! The CPBL have officially announced the Tianmu Stadium will host the 2018 CPBL All-Star Game on July 7-8.
This will be the third time for Taipei’s Tianmu Stadium to host the star-studded weekend event, with the previous two times at the 2010 and 2002 season.
Revival of the Skills Challenge
During the press conference, the commissioner mentioned instead of the Home Run Derby, the league will be going old school, and bring back the Skills Challenge.
The last time the CPBL did the Skills Challenge was during the 1995 and 1996 All-Star Game. The league sort of bought it back in the 2015 All-Star Game, but it was only limited to farm team players and rookies. (You can watch some of the highlight videos of the 1995 CPBL Skills Challenge here)
2018 CPBL All-Star Game Logo: History Lesson
From mid 1950s to 1979, Tiamu was known as the residential district for the US Armed Forces personnel and their families while stationed in Taiwan.
Therefore, the 2018 All-Star Game logo incorporated that history element during the design process, with the usage of the iconic historical “Tianmu White House” as the backdrop.
The design team also trying to express the quiet and peaceful lifestyle in Tianmu, at the same time mixing with the liveliness from the baseball game.
(The 2018 All-Star Game logo animation)
All-Star Game Format and How to Vote
- July 7th: All-Star Game.
- July 8th: Skill Competition.
- Red Team: The Monkeys and the Guardians.
- White Team: The Uni-Lions and the Brothers.
Fans Votes, 60% Weighted
- Internet
- Text message
- Onsite
- Newspaper
- Magazine
Other Votes, 40% Weighted
- Players votes
- Coach votes
- Press votes
Former KBO ace Andy Van Hekken will be starting the 2018 season in the Atlantic League. If he pitches well there, the odds are good he could be pitching in Taiwan before the 2018 season is over.
A former CPBL guy too, pitched in the Macoto Cobras in 2007. And for that reason, I don’t think the teams here in Taiwan will sign him. Because about a year later pretty much the whole Cobras/ dmedia T-REX team were busted for game fixing. (Not saying Andy Van Hekken had involvement though). But again, anything is possible, if he is good enough and still willing to pitch, he will be a good option for mid-season pick up.