1 Player Fired, 3 Suspended for Visiting Poker Rooms

Due to the CPBL’s past history with never-ending game-fixing scandals from the mid-’90s to late 2000s, the league, teams, media, and fans tend to uphold a relatively high “social and moral” standard for the players, especially regarding gambling.

In the CPBL regulations, under section 4 of the team management guidelines, the following is stated:

“Team staff and players are prohibited from visiting inappropriate places, including brothels, gambling arcades, and any establishments that could damage the reputation of the league, the club, or the individual.”

While the definition of “inappropriate places that could damage the reputation of the league” is somewhat vague, it sets the tone for how seriously the league views this issue.

Recently, several CPBL players came under the media spotlight and faced disciplinary actions from their teams after news surfaced about them being spotted at various poker establishments.

Dragons’ Tseng Chuan-Sheng: Fired

On August 2, Mirror Media reported that Wei Chuan Dragons’ 23-year-old shortstop 曾傳昇 (Tseng Chuan-Sheng) was arrested during a police raid at an illegal casino in January 2024.

According to the article, Tseng Chuan-Sheng admitted to playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker at the illegal casino but claimed it was not gambling. After further investigation, he was prosecuted by the district attorney for a gambling offence.

Shortly after the news broke, the CPBL issued a 10-game suspension to Tseng Chuan-Sheng for breaching the player’s code of conduct. The Wei Chuan Dragons went further by terminating Tseng’s contract on August 3.

In a CNA article, Wei Chuan claimed they were unaware of Tseng’s arrest at the time, as it was during the offseason, but the team did not share when they first found out about it.

CPBL columnist Wang Yi-Hsuan revealed on social media that a lot of baseball journalists had heard rumours of Tseng Chuan-Sheng’s arrest since late March.

After being fired by the Dragons, while Tseng Chuan-Sheng could technically come back to the CPBL by signing with another team, the reality is that his CPBL career is likely over.

Tseng Chuan-Sheng is 23 years old. He was the Dragons’ 3rd-round pick in the 2019 CPBL draft. He was once a highly touted prospect within the Dragons organisation and was second in the shortstop depth chart between 2021 and 2023. In 2024, he spent most of his time in the minor league.

Dragons’ Kuo Tian-Shin, Chang Cheng-Yu: Suspended

Just when you thought the drama was over, on August 6, more photos of Wei Chuan Dragons’ 郭天信 (Kuo Tian-Shin) and 張政禹 (Chang Cheng-Yu) playing poker in a licensed card room surfaced online. Both players are part of the Dragons’ everyday starting lineup, with Kuo in centre field and Chang at shortstop.

Shortly after the news, the Dragons announced the suspension of Kuo Tian-Shin and Chang Cheng-Yu.

In the Dragons’ press release, the team apologised to the public for failing to manage the players’ lifestyles and for the players getting involved in controversial venues. Regarding visiting legal/licensed card rooms to play poker, the team respects that there are different judicial opinions but has prohibited their players from visiting such establishments from now on.

According to CPBL columnist Wang Yi-Hsuan, the Dragons issued a 5-game suspension and fined Kuo Tian-Shin and Chang Cheng-Yu more than one month’s salary.

The CPBL also issued an additional 7-game suspension to the two players. The league suspension will commence after Kuo and Chang complete their 5-game suspension issued by the Dragons.

Kuo Tian-Shin is 24 years old. He was the Dragons’ 3rd-round pick in the 2019 CPBL draft. Kuo has been the Dragons’ primary centre fielder since 2021 and is widely considered to be one of the top centre fielders in CPBL right now.

Chang Cheng-Yu is 24 years old. He was the Dragons’ 7th-round pick in the 2019 CPBL draft. Since 2021, Chang has been the Dragons’ primary shortstop. In 2024, he missed quite a lot of games due to a knee injury (ACL).

Guardians’ Tseng Jyun-Yue: Suspended

The poker controversy continued to spread within the CPBL. On August 6, the Fubon Guardians announced the suspension of their top reliever 曾峻岳 (Tseng Jyun-Yue) and fined him 1.5 months’ worth of salary, with the fines to be donated to charity.

In the Guardians’ press release, the team emphasized that the prosperity of Taiwan’s professional baseball industry results from the collective efforts of all industry personnel. The team has since sternly warned all team members and staff that they are prohibited from entering such venues in the future. Violators will be severely punished with no leniency.

Shortly after the Guardians’ announcement, the CPBL also handed out an additional 7-game suspension to Tseng Jyun-Yue.

Tseng Jyun-Yue is 22 years old. He was the Guardians’ 7th-round in the 2020 CPBL draft. Tseng is one of the hardest throwers in the CPBL, with his velocity topping out at 158 kph (98.2 mph). Since 2021, he has been splitting his role as the Guardians setup man and closer. There have been rumours that the NPB teams might be interested in signing him via the posting system.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here