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Wei Chuan Dragons

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Wei Chuan Dragons
味全龍
Information
LeagueChinese Professional Baseball League
LocationTaipei City (1989–1999, 2021–present)
Hsinchu (2022–present)
BallparkTaipei Municipal Baseball Stadium (1989–1999)
Tianmu Baseball Stadium (2021–present)
Hsinchu Baseball Stadium (2022–present)
Founded1989
2019 (refounded)
League championships19902 • 19911 • 19962 • 19972 • 20232
Taiwan Series championships1990, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2023
ColorsRed
MascotWeddie
Playoff berths8 (1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2022, 2023)
Retired numbers
ManagerYeh Chun-chang
Uniforms
Home
Away

The Wei Chuan Dragons (Chinese: 味全龍; pinyin: Wèiquán Lóng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bī-chôan-liông) are a professional baseball team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) that originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the franchise and return to the CPBL. The team played one season of minor league baseball in 2020 and rejoined the CPBL in 2021.[1]

The Dragons won the Taiwan Series championship five times, in 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2023.

History

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Wei Chuan Dragons uniform

Wei Chuan Dragons had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei Chuan Foods Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in the late 1970s. After these student players graduated, Wei-Chuan formed an amateur team to allow them to continue playing baseball in 1978; it was this team that later professionalized to become one of the first four teams of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Due to the club's long history in the amateur era, its matches often attracted large crowds, and games with the Brother Elephants, another popular team, were often sold out. The team played at the now-demolished Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium.

During the 1990s, the club won the CPBL championship four times, in 1990, 1997, 1998 and 1999, and by the end of the 1999 season became the team with the most CPBL championship titles. In 1999, Wei Chuan Food Corporation announced its decision to disband the club,[2] mainly because the Ting Hsin International Group, who became the largest shareholder of Wei Chuan Food Corporation in 1998, did not show interest in supporting the baseball club.

In 2019, 20 years after the disbandment, the club was re-established and played the 2020 season in the minor league, before rejoining the CPBL in 2021.[3] In 2023, the Dragons defeated Rakuten Monkeys in the 2023 Taiwan Series with four wins in seven games to win their fifth championship, 24 years since their last championship.[4]

Records

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Qualified for playoffs Taiwan Series Championship

Regular seasons

Season First half-season Second half-season
Wins Losses Ties Pct. Place Wins Losses Ties Pct. Place
1990 25 20 0 .556 2 27 14 4 .659 1
1991 26 17 2 .605 1 20 19 6 .513 2
1992 23 20 2 .535 2 18 22 5 .450 4
1993 26 19 0 .578 2 22 21 2 .512 3
1994 17 27 1 .386 5 19 25 1 .432 4
1995 25 25 0 .500 3 22 27 1 .449 5
1996 25 23 2 .521 4 30 20 0 .600 1
1997 15 31 2 .326 7 31 15 2 .674 1
1998 56 48 1 .538 3 No half-seasons
1999 49 39 4 .557 3
2021 22 36 2 .379 5 28 31 1 .475 3
2022 31 29 0 .517 4 26 29 5 .473 4
2023 30 27 3 .526 2 32 26 2 .552 1
2024 26 34 0 .433 5 32 28 0 .533 2

Playoffs

Season First round Taiwan Series
Opponent Wins Losses Opponent Wins Losses
1990 Did not play Mercuries Tigers 4 2
1991 Did not play Uni-President Lions 3 4
1996 Did not play Uni-President Lions 2 4
1997 Did not play China Times Eagles 4 2
1998 Uni-President Lions 2 1 Sinon Bulls 4 3
1999 Uni-President Lions 2 1 Chinatrust Whales 4 1
2022 CTBC Brothers 1 3 Eliminated
2023 Did not play Rakuten Monkeys 4 3

Roster

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Wei Chuan Dragons roster
Players Coaches

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

Second team manager

Second team coaches

Roster updated on 24 June 2024

Retired numbers

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List of managers

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No. Name Years Playoffs Championships
1 Sung Huan-hsun 1990 1 1
2 Hsu Sheng-ming 1991–1993 1 0
3 Kenjiro Tamiya 1994–1995 0 0
– Hsu Sheng-ming 1996–1999 4 3
4 Yeh Chun-chang 2021–present 2 1

See also

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Notes

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^1 First half-season champions
^2 Second half-season champions

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wei Chuan Dragons.
  1. ^ Shan, Shelley (14 May 2019). "Wei Chuan Dragons are fifth team to join CPBL". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ Shan, Shelley (25 June 2019). "CPBL welcomes back Dragons after 20 years". Taipei Times. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Expansion club Weichuan Dragons open camp as CPBL gets ready for its first-ever 5-team season". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. ^ "中職》味全龍6比3打退桃猿 睽違24年總冠軍賽封王" (in Chinese). China Times. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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