Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Taiwan's professional baseball players say they are ready to test themselves against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, especially star hitter Manny Ramirez, in a three-game exhibition series to be played this weekend in Taiwan.
A team of All-Stars from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is scheduled to play the Dodgers in Taipei's Tienmu Stadium on March 12 and 13 and in Kaohsiung's Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium on March 14.
Taiwan's scheduled starter in Game 1, Lin Ying-chieh, said he would do his best against the Dodgers lineup but admitted he would definitely be a little bit nervous facing Major League hitters, especially Ramirez.
"I'm wondering how the hitters will react if I lose my control and hit them, " Lin said half-jokingly.
The La New Bears' Keng Po-hsuan, who pitched in the Toronto Blue Jays' farm system from 2005 to 2008, was happy at having the chance to face a Major League lineup.
"I've never had an opportunity to play in the Majors so I want to do my best to show what I'm capable of doing," he said.
Pan Wei-lun of Uni-President Lions, the probable starter for Game 3, expected that watching MLB games on TV and actually playing against big leaguers on the field would be very different, and he said he was curious about the power of MLB hitters.
The Sinon Bulls' Yang Chien-fu is listed as the probable starter for the CPBL All-Stars in Game 2, and Lin En-yu, the top pick in the CPBL draft in the off-season who previously pitched professionally in Japan, will also get some work.
"It will be a honor for me to pitch in the series," said Lin, who was drafted by the Brother Elephants.
The CPBL's 25-man roster for the exhibition series consists of 10 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders and six outfielders.
The most notable player on Taiwan's team will be the La New Bears outfielder/designated hitter Chen Chin-feng, who played in the Dodgers' organization from 1999-2005 and appeared in 19 major league games.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre, well known in Taiwan because he managed the New York Yankees when Taiwanese hero Chien-ming Wang had his best years with the Yankees, will bring a team of 33 players to Taiwan. But only 13 of them are on the Major League roster and only 17 have Major League experience.
The Dodgers have left part of their spring training squad in the United States, including most of their front-line pitchers, to continue competing in exhibition games there.
Local fans expressed disappointment with the split squad roster, with many demanding refunds, and ticket sales have been affected. As of Wednesday, there were 3,000 tickets still available for Game 1 and a combined 1,000 tickets left for Games 2 and 3, the series' promoter Bros Sports Marketing said.
To secure the presence of the free-spirited Ramirez and increase the series' appeal, Bros Sports said it gave Ramirez a US$170,000 appearance fee and endorsement deal.
Though it is not yet known how much Ramirez will play, he will likely garner the most attention of any of the visiting players. He is one of only 25 players to have hit over 500 career home runs, and his 28 career post-season home runs are the most by any player in MLB history.
Also expected to receive plenty of attention are two Taiwan-grown heroes: left-handed reliever Kuo Hong-chih and shortstop Hu Chin-lung.
Kuo, 28, has spent his entire MLB career with the Dodgers and has a record of 9-13 with 14 saves since 2005, when he started pitching for the Major League club. Kuo could start for the Dodgers in Game 3.
The 26-year-old Hu, best known for his defense, appeared in 82 games at the Major League level from 2007 to 2009.
The Dodgers are visiting Taiwan for the second time in team history. In 1993, the brought most of the players on their 25-team roster, including a young Pedro Martinez and Orel Hershiser, and finished with one win and two losses against the CPBL All-Stars.
The Major League team arrives at a critical time for the country's national pastime, which was dealt a severe blow by a game-fixing scandal that rippled through the CPBL. More than 30 players were confirmed to be involved in the case and have been kicked off their teams.