CPBL: Tseng Hao-chu, Kao Chih-kang to manage 2026 All-Star Game teams

The 2026 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) All-Star Game is set to take place on July 18-19 at the Taipei Dome, featuring the traditional matchup between TEAM STAR and TEAM TAIWAN.

The league announced the managers for both teams: Tseng Hao-chu, the current manager of the Rakuten Monkeys, will lead TEAM STAR. Kao Chih-kang, the first and second team director and coordinating coach for the Uni-Lions, will manage TEAM TAIWAN.

TEAM STAR is typically led by the manager of the previous year's championship team. Although the Rakuten Monkeys won the championship last year, their former manager, Kenji Koji, was removed after the victory and is now a roving coordinator for the Wei Chuan Dragons. Tseng Hao-chu, who returned as the Monkeys' manager, agreed to take on the All-Star role after discussions with the league.

Notably, both Tseng and Kao served on the coaching staff for the Chinese Taipei national team during the World Baseball Classic, with Tseng as manager and Kao as head coach. Their upcoming All-Star Game roles will create a unique "national team coach vs. coach" dynamic.

Tseng Hao-chu has a history of managing in All-Star games, having led TEAM TAIWAN for the past two years (in the Premier12 and World Baseball Classic). This year marks his shift to managing TEAM STAR. He now joins an elite group of managers with multiple consecutive All-Star appearances, including Hung Yi-chung (8 consecutive terms) and Lin Yi-tseng (5 consecutive terms). Tseng's three consecutive terms tie him with other notable managers like Shigeo Yamane, Mitaro Oishi, Lu Wen-sheng, and Yeh Chih-Chuan.