Taipei City, Taiwan- “The Dodgers have always been the ball club to explore.” Those words from Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre last night, as the team kicked off a 4 day exploration and goodwill tour of Taiwan. In front of a standing room only crowd, filled with American and Asian media, Torre said he’s always been curious about Taiwan, especially with the nation winning 17 Little League World Series.
Torre said Taiwanese players have always been very special, not only in their ability, but in the way they compete. And in recent years, more ballplayers from Taiwan have been joining in the competition in the United States. In 2002, the Dodgers signed the first Taiwanese player in Major League Baseball, slugger Chen Chin- Feng. Since then, 5 other players have been drafted, including pitching ace Chien Ming Wang, whom Torre coached during his tenure with the Yankees. The Dodgers currently have two Taiwanese natives on their team- Hong Chi Kuo and Chin Lung Hu.