DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Sports

CPBL veteran Yu De-lung nears 1000th career appearance

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Rakuten Monkeys veteran Yu De-lung is nearing his 1000th career appearance in the Chinese Professional Baseball league.
  • Yu De-lung originally planned to play for Taipower but chose professional baseball for a better early retirement package and higher salary.
  • He credits his longevity to not viewing himself as a star player and maintaining a consistent training regimen.

Yu De-lung, a veteran player for the Rakuten Monkeys, is on the cusp of reaching a significant milestone: 1000 career appearances in the Chinese Professional Baseball (CPBL) league.

I never thought I would have the chance to play 1000 games in professional baseball.

— Yu De-lungReflecting on his career and upcoming milestone.

At 38 years old, Yu has played in 993 games and is expected to become the 35th player in CPBL history to achieve this mark. Reflecting on his career, he admits he never anticipated reaching 1000 games, noting that his progress over 15 years has been somewhat slow. His current goal is to continue playing for as long as possible, focusing on maintaining his health and minimizing performance fluctuations.

Yu revealed that after completing his military service in 2011, his initial plan was to join Taipower, a state-owned power company, rather than pursue professional baseball. However, a lucrative offer from a CPBL team, 3.5 million NT dollars plus a 500,000 NT dollar incentive bonus, prompted a family discussion. Comparing the offer to Taipower's retirement benefits (around 3 million NT dollars) and the higher monthly salary in professional baseball, he opted for the diamond. Looking back, he has no regrets, except for a brief period in his rookie year when he struggled to adapt to the intensity of the top league.

I'm just playing as long as I can, trying to stay healthy and keep my performance from fluctuating too much.

— Yu De-lungDescribing his current goals and approach to his career.

Throughout his 15-year career, Yu has maintained a humble perspective, consciously avoiding the mindset of a star player. He believes this approach has enabled his longevity, preventing any "big-headedness" or complacency. He consistently strives to keep pace with the league's top athletes.

I originally planned to play for Taipower after my military service, I never intended to play professional baseball.

— Yu De-lungRecounting his career path decision.

His career highlights include being named the Taiwan Series MVP in 2014, an achievement he attributes in part to the guidance of former Lamigo Monkeys guest coach Ye Chun-chang. Ye's advice on simplifying his hitting approach and mindset proved invaluable. Yu also maintains his physical condition through regular weight training sessions, typically four to five times a week during the season, focusing on maintaining strength and readiness without overexertion.

The signing bonus was good, and the monthly salary was higher than Taipower's.

— Yu De-lungExplaining the financial considerations that led him to professional baseball.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog