Yomiuri Giants Exhibition Series at Taipei Dome Bring in Cash!
On April 2, the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB concluded their 2024 Friendship Series in Taiwan. The Giants played two exhibition games against two CPBL teams at the Taipei Dome, where they defeated the CTBC Brothers 4-1 and had a 0-0 draw against the Rakuten Monkeys.
The exhibition series attracted 68,780 fans over the weekend, with Game 1 attendance of 37,890, setting the new single-game attendance record in Taiwan’s baseball history.
After the series, TSNA reported the weekend event at the Taipei Dome generated an estimated revenue of more than 4.34 million USD in ticket sales and an additional $450,000 in merchandise.
- Game 1 – Brothers 1-4 Giants
- Attendance: 37,890
- Game 2 – Monkeys 0-0 Giants
- Attendance: 30,890
Potential SoftBank Hawks Exhibition Games in Taiwan?
TSNA also reported that apparently, the senior management of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had visited Taiwan and met with Jeffrey Koo Jr, the owner of the CTBC Brothers, who is also the president of the CTBA (Taiwan’s national governing body for the sport of baseball). The article hinted that perhaps they discussed the possibility of playing exhibition games at the Taipei Dome.
How popular are the Yomiuri Giants in Taiwan? In Japan, the team is sort of like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs all rolled into one. Would games played in Taiwan by other top NPB teams like SoftBank Hawks, Hanshin Tigers, or Orix Buffaloes draw as well simply because of high level of NPB play? Or is Yomiuri special?
The Yomiuri Giants is very popular / well known in Taiwan due to the Sadaharu Oh connection from back in the day. Other than the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants, I doubt any other NPB teams can have that much pull with the attendance in Taiwan.
Do you think a CPBL team would consider signing highly talented ne’er-do-wells like Trevor Bauer or Tomohiro Anraku? The Mexican League will sign just about anyone if the talent is there and the player will sign for a Mexican League salary.
Unlikely to happen with Trevor Bauer and Tomohiro Anraku, because the last thing a CPBL team want is to bring down their public image, so they are very careful of who they sign. This also has something to do with CPBL teams are generally being used as a form of advertisement for their parent company.