Monkeys Release Chiu Tan Over DUI Charge
On June 10, the Rakuten Monkeys’ outfielder 邱丹 (Chiu Tan) was arrested by the highway police for drink driving and was later charged with endangering public safety by the district prosecutor.
According to the police, they received a collision report around 4 AM and found Chiu Tan’s vehicle crashed into the guardrail on the side of the highway. The officers then performed a breath test on Chiu, in which he failed.
On June 11, the Rakuten Monkeys announced that they had terminated the contract of 邱丹 (Chiu Tan) over the drink driving incident. In the press release, the team reiterated their zero-tolerance policy on driving under the influence.
Notes: The league also imposed a 40-game suspension and a 16,000 USD fine. Should any CPBL team wish to sign Chiu Tan, he will first have to pay for the fine and serve that 40-game suspension.
Chiu Tan’s Public Apology
Shortly after being released by the Rakuten Monkeys, Chiu Tan posted an apology on social media for his wrong-doing.
“I sincerely apologise for driving under the influence. My foolish behaviour brought not only negative news to the league, the team, and all hardworking players and staff in the industry,” said Chiu Tan. “I accept all penalties from the league and team, hoping my mistake serves as a warning. I am sorry for letting down the team, fans, and my family.”
Chiu Tan was the Monkeys’ 2018 third-round pick. His most notable season was 2021, where he slashed .258/.313/.339 across 314 plate appearances and won the Gold Glove Award.
Although Chiu Tan is now technically a free agent, given his situation, it is highly unlikely that any CPBL team will sign him. Therefore, it is safe to say that the once highly touted prospect’s CPBL career is pretty much over. He finished his 6-season career with a slash line of .263/.312/.333 over 204 games and 595 plate appearances.
Rakuten Monkeys 邱丹 (Chiu Tan) makes a running over-the-shoulder grab at the warning track. #CPBL pic.twitter.com/pCA9CYrBcP
— CPBL STATS 🪬🔮 (@GOCPBL) March 28, 2021
What was responsible for the record-setting Brothers attendance this week? I think I saw that the record setting game was Hanshin night. Anything else?
The main reason is probably the Brother, since they have the largest fanbase in the CPBL. Also, the Brothers requested to open level 4 and 5 of the Dome. I think they are the first team to do that in the CPBL. Because under the Dome usage regulation, if they want to use level 4 and 5, they will have to submit a different fire safety and transportation proposal to the city council. That’s why in the past, teams generally kept the attendance level around 20,000 to 30,000 by not using level 4 and 5.
We could potentially see this single-game attendance record to be broken again in the 2nd-half season. The Brothers, Guardians and Uni-Lions have some pretty big theme nights. Anyway, we will see.
That makes sense. Why pay for the additional costs unless you expect to draw well over 20,000? Still, it’s good for the league to show that games in Taipei can draw well over 25,000.