Lin Chih-Sheng Joins 300-HR Club

On April 16, the Wei Chuan Dragons’ 41-year-old veteran 林智勝 (Lin Chih-Sheng) became the first CPBL player to join the prestigious 300 Home Run Club.

It was the top of the eighth inning, and the Dragons were ahead with a slim one-run lead with runners on first and second base. The Dragons’ manager decided to go to the bench and get their veteran slugger Lin Chih-Sheng to pinch hit.

Being one of the top best hitters in CPBL history, Lin Chih-Sheng did not disappoint. After getting ahead with a 2-0 count, Lin took Bradin Hagens’ 143 kph fastball to deep left for a three-run bomb and cemented the win for the Dragons.

Long Journey to 300 Career Home Runs

The journey to the 300th career home run took Lin Chih-Sheng 20 seasons, 1590 games, 6617 plate appearances and 5760 at bats to achieve.

“It took a little longer than I expected. I want to thank everybody who supported me along the way,” Lin Chih-Sheng told UDN.

It indeed took Lin Chih-Sheng a bit longer to get to 300 career home runs as Lin suffered several season-ending injuries in the 2013 and 2020 seasons.

There was also the clubhouse drama between him and the Brothers’ management team in 2017 and 2018, leading to him being “blacklisted / farm team jailed” by the management team for almost 300 days.

“I also wanted to thank the Brothers organisation, especially the team owner, for not giving up on me,” Lin Chih-Sheng told TSNA.

300 Career Home Runs and Beyond!

Wei Chuan Dragons manager revealed after the game that he initially was going to use Li Kai-Wei as the pinch hitter, but at the last moment, he decided to go with Lin Chih-Sheng instead.

“What a coincidence, Lin Chih-Sheng hitting his 300th home run against the team he began his professional career with 20 years ago,” the Dragons manager told ETtoday. 

“This 300 home runs milestone is not the end. I believe Lin Chih-Sheng will continue to extend his CPBL home run record,” the Monkeys manager Tseng Hao-Ju told Liberty Sports.

Lin Chih-Sheng’s 300 Home Run Merchandise

With the historic milestone came epic merchandise revenue figures. According to the Wei Chuan Dragons GM, they have sold over 334,000 USD worth of Lin Chih-Sheng’s 300 Home Run merchandise in less than two days.

Next 300-HR Club Member in the CPBL?

So, which CPBL player is likely to be the next to join the 300 Club? The short and harsh answer? It is unlikely to happen for the next 15-20 years, especially with the new CPBL de-juiced ball.

There are Lin Yi-Chuan, who is currently sitting on 205 career home runs and Lin Hung-Yu (196 HRs) and Kao Kuo-Hui (170 HRs), but they are 37 years old and currently on the decline, especially when it comes to hitting home runs.

31-year-old power-hitter Chu Yu-Hsien, who is currently sitting on 146 career home runs, might have shot at the 300 Club. As long he can produce roughly 17 home runs a season for the next nine years.

As for the next generation of the CPBL hitters, here are a few players that have the potential to reach 300 career home runs as long they can stay healthy.

  • Chen Tzu-Hao, 27-year-old, 111 career home runs
  • Su Chih-Chieh, 28-year-old, 108 career home runs
  • Lin Li, 27-year-old, 78 career home runs
  • Lin An-Ko, 25-year-old, 56 career home runs

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