Mercuries Tigers
Encyclopedia
The Mercuries Tigers were a professional baseball
team belonging to Taiwan
's Chinese Professional Baseball League
(CPBL) between 1990 and 1999.
's chairman Hung Teng-sheng (洪騰勝) in the National Taiwan University
, and immediately promised to fulfill Hung's wishes to form a Taiwanese professional baseball league in 1988. This team was established accordingly in 1989 and took the now-demolished Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium
as its home throughout its history. Because the Mercuries Corporation itself was inexperienced in running sports clubs, in 1988 and 1989 it was mostly Hung Teng-sheng that built up the Tiger's roster as well as managing most business, with Chen He-dong sponsoring the necessary fund. This team therefore became the only one of the CPBL's founding teams without an amateur
history: both Brother Elephants
and Wei Chuan Dragons
were original amateur teams, while the bulk of Uni-President Lions
's players came from Taipower (台電).
With a strong initial roster, the Tigers won the first CPBL half-season championship in 1990, but ironically it was also the only one half-season championship it ever won throughout its history. Mainly due to the Mercuries Corporation's indifference and poor management, plus the team's lacking an amateur history which could have helped the unity among players, since the second half of 1990 this club had been marred by a chain of negative news including disunity, disobedience and factions among players and coacheshttp://twbsball.dils.tku.edu.tw/wiki/index.php/%E4%B8%89%E5%95%86%E8%99%8E%E9%9A%8A#.E7.90.83.E5.9C.98.E7.B0.A1.E4.BB.8B.
This team was further widely suspected to be seriously involved in the first CPBL game fixing scandal, but did not come to light because the Tigers fired its involved players in advance in 1996http://twbsball.dils.tku.edu.tw/wiki/index.php/%E9%BB%91%E8%99%8E%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6.
In the 1990 Taiwan Series
, the Tigers were defeated by the Wei Chuan Dragons
2-4, and except for winning the 2nd place in the upper 1994 and lower 1995 half season, this club had never gained an upper-half seat in the final seasonal standings throughout its history, as well as long time being the least popular and poorest attended CPBL team throughout its lifetime. After long time loss the Mercuries Corporation finally closed down the team after the 1999 season ended. Most Tiger's players and coaches were later absorbed by the Brother Elephants
and Chinatrust Whales
. In November 1999 right after the close down, the TVBS
and Taiwan Major League
's then chairman Chiu Fu-sheng(邱復生) ever invited Chen He-dong to sponsor the Taichung Agan
, but Chen He-dong did not respondhttp://db1.sinica.edu.tw/~textdb/test/921eq/txt/U0016/26247.txt.
The most famous players in the team history includes Lin Chung-chiu
(林仲秋) and Luis Iglesias, the former have won the leader of HR in single seasons most times in the CPBL history.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
team belonging to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
(CPBL) between 1990 and 1999.
History
The Tigers were owned and administered by the local Mercuries Corporation whose then chairman Chen He-dong (陳河東) was a classmate and a close friend of Brother Hotel and Brother ElephantsBrother Elephants
The Brother Elephants are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. It was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989...
's chairman Hung Teng-sheng (洪騰勝) in the National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
, and immediately promised to fulfill Hung's wishes to form a Taiwanese professional baseball league in 1988. This team was established accordingly in 1989 and took the now-demolished Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium
Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium
Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium was a baseball park located in the Songshan District of Taipei, Taiwan. It was opened in 1959, and hosted numerous major baseball games over the years, including the CPBL's first game in 1990 between Uni-President Lions and Brother Elephants...
as its home throughout its history. Because the Mercuries Corporation itself was inexperienced in running sports clubs, in 1988 and 1989 it was mostly Hung Teng-sheng that built up the Tiger's roster as well as managing most business, with Chen He-dong sponsoring the necessary fund. This team therefore became the only one of the CPBL's founding teams without an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
history: both Brother Elephants
Brother Elephants
The Brother Elephants are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. It was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989...
and Wei Chuan Dragons
Wei Chuan Dragons
The Wei Chuan Dragons were a professional baseball team in Taiwan's CPBL that existed between 1990 and 1999.- Brief history :This team had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in late 1970s...
were original amateur teams, while the bulk of Uni-President Lions
Uni-President Lions
The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions are a professional baseball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. The organization is named after the Uni-President Corporation, one of Taiwan's largest conglomerate whose sub-company Uni-President Baseball Team Company oversees operations of the team...
's players came from Taipower (台電).
With a strong initial roster, the Tigers won the first CPBL half-season championship in 1990, but ironically it was also the only one half-season championship it ever won throughout its history. Mainly due to the Mercuries Corporation's indifference and poor management, plus the team's lacking an amateur history which could have helped the unity among players, since the second half of 1990 this club had been marred by a chain of negative news including disunity, disobedience and factions among players and coacheshttp://twbsball.dils.tku.edu.tw/wiki/index.php/%E4%B8%89%E5%95%86%E8%99%8E%E9%9A%8A#.E7.90.83.E5.9C.98.E7.B0.A1.E4.BB.8B.
This team was further widely suspected to be seriously involved in the first CPBL game fixing scandal, but did not come to light because the Tigers fired its involved players in advance in 1996http://twbsball.dils.tku.edu.tw/wiki/index.php/%E9%BB%91%E8%99%8E%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6.
In the 1990 Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is usually played in October, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the CPBL Seasonal Championship Series , and was renamed the Taiwan Series after the merger of the Chinese Professional Baseball...
, the Tigers were defeated by the Wei Chuan Dragons
Wei Chuan Dragons
The Wei Chuan Dragons were a professional baseball team in Taiwan's CPBL that existed between 1990 and 1999.- Brief history :This team had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in late 1970s...
2-4, and except for winning the 2nd place in the upper 1994 and lower 1995 half season, this club had never gained an upper-half seat in the final seasonal standings throughout its history, as well as long time being the least popular and poorest attended CPBL team throughout its lifetime. After long time loss the Mercuries Corporation finally closed down the team after the 1999 season ended. Most Tiger's players and coaches were later absorbed by the Brother Elephants
Brother Elephants
The Brother Elephants are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. It was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989...
and Chinatrust Whales
Chinatrust Whales
The Chinatrust Whales , formerly Koos Group Whales , were a Taiwanese professional baseball team. Originally founded as an amateur team in 1991, this club became professional and joined the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1997. It is administered by the Chinatrust Financial Holding...
. In November 1999 right after the close down, the TVBS
TVBS
TVBS is a satellite television channel and nationwide cable TV network in Taiwan, Republic of China, launched on September 28, 1993. It was established by TVBI Company Limited , a subsidiary of Television Broadcasts Limited in Hong Kong, and ERA Group of Taiwan, and became a wholly owned...
and Taiwan Major League
Professional baseball in Taiwan
Professional baseball in Taiwan started with the founding of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 1989. At its 1997 peak, Taiwan had two leagues and 11 professional teams...
's then chairman Chiu Fu-sheng(邱復生) ever invited Chen He-dong to sponsor the Taichung Agan
Taichung Agan
The Taichung Agan , literally the Taichung Robots was a Taiwanese professional baseball team belonging to the Taiwan Major League . It was based in Taichung and took the Taichung Baseball Field as its home throughout its history...
, but Chen He-dong did not respondhttp://db1.sinica.edu.tw/~textdb/test/921eq/txt/U0016/26247.txt.
The most famous players in the team history includes Lin Chung-chiu
Lin Chung-chiu
Lin Chung-chiu is a retired Taiwanese professional baseball player and currently a baseball coach...
(林仲秋) and Luis Iglesias, the former have won the leader of HR in single seasons most times in the CPBL history.
Regular Season Records
| Season | First Half-Season | Second Half-Season | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Place | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Place | |
| 1990 | 29 | 13 | 3 | .690 | 1 | 18 | 25 | 2 | .419 | 3 |
| 1991 | 16 | 24 | 5 | .400 | 4 | 19 | 22 | 4 | .463 | 3 |
| 1992 | 16 | 26 | 3 | .381 | 4 | 20 | 21 | 4 | .488 | 3 |
| 1993 | 16 | 29 | 0 | .356 | 6 | 17 | 25 | 3 | .405 | 6 |
| 1994 | 23 | 20 | 2 | .535 | 2 | 17 | 27 | 1 | .386 | 5 |
| 1995 | 22 | 28 | 0 | .440 | 5 | 27 | 20 | 3 | .574 | 2 |
| 1996 | 16 | 33 | 1 | .327 | 5 | 23 | 24 | 3 | .489 | 5 |
| 1997 | 22 | 22 | 4 | .500 | 4 | 24 | 22 | 2 | .522 | 4 |
| 1998 | 50 | 52 | 3 | .490 | 5 | |||||
| 1999 | 39 | 52 | 2 | .429 | 4 | |||||
Taiwan Series
| Season | Preliminary Round | Championship Round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Opponent | Wins | Losses | |
| 1990 | - | - | - | Wei Chuan Dragons Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons were a professional baseball team in Taiwan's CPBL that existed between 1990 and 1999.- Brief history :This team had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei-Chuan Food Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in late 1970s... |
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