Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted her gratitude to baseball fans around the world for tuning in to watch the CPBL, Taiwan’s baseball league.
Hello to friends from all over the world! Thanks for staying up late or getting up early to cheer for the first hit with us in #Taiwan. @KeithOlbermann I hope you’re joining us live bright & early for today's game, I heard you’re a Cornell alum as well, what a small world! https://t.co/4RlkFeign2
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 17, 2020
The CPBL has gained sudden worldwide interest after it became the first baseball league to reopen during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Taiwan has had remarkable success in curtailing the spread of the virus on the island. The league is playing without fans in attendance, though some teams have placed cardboard cutouts in the front rows. Others have even created robot fans.
North American fans who are hungry for baseball have been streaming the games online at wee hours of the morning through Eleven Sports’ twitter account. The league has five teams, and you’re more than encouraged to become a ravenous fan of one until your MLB team of choice is back in action.
South Korea’s KBO is expected to begin play in May, while Japan’s NPB has still not set a target for its opening day. Obviously, there’s no end in sight to MLB’s suspension.