Wei Chuan Dragons

Wei Chuan Dragons
Wei Chuan Dragons
味全龍
Information
League	Chinese Professional Baseball League
Location	Taipei City (1989–1999, 2021–present); Hsinchu (2022–present)
Ballpark	Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium (1989–1999); Tianmu Baseball Stadium (2021–present); Hsinchu Baseball Stadium (2022–present)
Founded	1989; 2019 (refounded)
League championships	19902 • 19911 • 19962 • 19972 • 20232
Taiwan Series championships	1990, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2023
Colors	Red
Mascot	Weddie
Playoff berths	8 (1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2022, 2023)
Retired numbers	85;
Manager	Yeh Chun-chang
Uniforms
Home	Away

The Wei Chuan Dragons (Chinese: 味全龍; pinyin: Wèiquán Lóng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bī-chôan-liông) are a professional baseball team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) that originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the franchise and return to the CPBL. The team played one season of minor league baseball in 2020 and rejoined the CPBL in 2021.^[1]

The Dragons won the Taiwan Series championship five times, in 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2023.

History

Wei Chuan Dragons uniform

Wei Chuan Dragons had a long amateur history when its parent company, the Wei Chuan Foods Corporation, started sponsoring Chinese Culture University's baseball team in the late 1970s. After these student players graduated, Wei-Chuan formed an amateur team to allow them to continue playing baseball in 1978; it was this team that later professionalized to become one of the first four teams of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). Due to the club's long history in the amateur era, its matches often attracted large crowds, and games with the Brother Elephants, another popular team, were often sold out. The team played at the now-demolished Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium.

During the 1990s, the club won the CPBL championship four times, in 1990, 1997, 1998 and 1999, and by the end of the 1999 season became the team with the most CPBL championship titles. In 1999, Wei Chuan Food Corporation announced its decision to disband the club,^[2] mainly because the Ting Hsin International Group, who became the largest shareholder of Wei Chuan Food Corporation in 1998, did not show interest in supporting the baseball club.

In 2019, 20 years after the disbandment, the club was re-established and played the 2020 season in the minor league, before rejoining the CPBL in 2021.^[3] In 2023, the Dragons defeated Rakuten Monkeys in the 2023 Taiwan Series with four wins in seven games to win their fifth championship, 24 years since their last championship.^[4]

Records

Qualified for playoffs	Taiwan Series Championship

Regular seasons

Season	First half-season					Second half-season
Season	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.	Place	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.	Place
1990	25	20	0	.556	2	27	14	4	.659	1
1991	26	17	2	.605	1	20	19	6	.513	2
1992	23	20	2	.535	2	18	22	5	.450	4
1993	26	19	0	.578	2	22	21	2	.512	3
1994	17	27	1	.386	5	19	25	1	.432	4
1995	25	25	0	.500	3	22	27	1	.449	5
1996	25	23	2	.521	4	30	20	0	.600	1
1997	15	31	2	.326	7	31	15	2	.674	1
1998	56	48	1	.538	3	No half-seasons
1999	49	39	4	.557	3	No half-seasons
2021	22	36	2	.379	5	28	31	1	.475	3
2022	31	29	0	.517	4	26	29	5	.473	4
2023	30	27	3	.526	2	32	26	2	.552	1
2024	26	34	0	.433	5	32	28	0	.533	2

Playoffs

Season	First round			Taiwan Series
Season	Opponent	Wins	Losses	Opponent	Wins	Losses
1990	Did not play			Mercuries Tigers	4	2
1991	Did not play			Uni-President Lions	3	4
1996	Did not play			Uni-President Lions	2	4
1997	Did not play			China Times Eagles	4	2
1998	Uni-President Lions	2	1	Sinon Bulls	4	3
1999	Uni-President Lions	2	1	Chinatrust Whales	4	1
2022	CTBC Brothers	1	3	Eliminated
2023	Did not play			Rakuten Monkeys	4	3