China Baseball League
The China Baseball League was founded in 2002 and has 6 teams. The current champions are the Tianjin Lions.
The China Baseball League or Chinese Baseball League (Chinese: 中国棒球联赛) or CBL is a fledgling professional baseball league, founded in 2002. It should not be confused with the Chinese Professional Baseball League, which is the game's top league in Taiwan (Chinese Taipei).
The Teams
- Beijing Tigers (北京猛虎) (since 2002)
- China Hope Stars (希望之星) (in Beijing since 2005)
- Shanghai Eagles (上海金鹰) (since 2002)
- Sichuan Dragons (四川蛟龙) (since 2005)
- Tianjin Lions (天津雄狮) (since 2002)
- Guangdong Leopards (广东猎豹) (since 2002)
The original four teams were the Beijing Tigers, Tianjin Lions, Shanghai Eagles and Guangzhou Lightning. The Hope Stars and Dragons joined them in 2005. The Hope Stars are an under-21 team of promising players from around the country.
Earlier Seasons
Season 1 ran from April 26 to May 25, 2002 with a one-game championship.
In the 2004 season, the defending champion Beijing Tigers once again defeated the Tianjin Lions in the best-of-five finals. They came back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series 3 games to 2.
The opening day of the 2005 season was April 1 2005. The regular season ended on June 26. In the 2005 best-of-five championship series, the Beijing Tigers swept the Tianjin Lions, three games to none, giving the Tigers their third straight title. (The 2005 championship series was abbreviated to three games due to SARS.)
Year Winner Games Runner-up Games
- 2002 Tianjin Lions 1 Beijing Tigers 0
- 2003 Beijing Tigers 3 Tianjin Lions 2
- 2004 Beijing Tigers 3 Tianjin Lions 2
- 2005 Beijing Tigers 2 Tianjin Lions 0
- 2006 Tianjin Lions 3 Guangdong Leopards 0
Beijing Tigers
The Beijing Tigers (北京猛虎) is one of the four charter teams in the China Baseball League. The Tigers played at the Beijing Fengtai Baseball Field until 2006, when the stadium was destroyed and rebuilt as a softball stadium. Their current stadium for the 2006 season is located in Lucheng, a rural area to the south of Beijing.
The Tigers enjoy the the distinction of being one of the oldest baseball teams in China, with its history spanning well before the Cultural Revolution.
History
Professional baseball was introduced to China in 2002 with the organization of the Chinese Baseball League. The four CBL charter teams were the Beijing Tigers, Tianjin Lions, Shanghai Eagles, and the Guangzhou Lightning. Since the inaugural season, two more teams have been added to the league: the Guangdong Leopards and Sichuan Dragons. The Chinese Baseball League's season consists of approximately 30 games played April through July. At the end of the season, the two best teams in the league compete in the best of 5 Chinese Baseball League World Series.
Successes
The Beijing Tigers are the most successful team in the CBL, having won three CBL World Series in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Nine of the Beijing Tigers, including the hitting coach, were part of the Chinese National Team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
Their biggest rival is the Tianjin Lions, who beat the Guangdong Dragons to win the 2006 Championship Series. The Tigers did not make the playoffs, due to a roster replete with injuries and early retirements.
Team Roster (2005) - Openting Day Lineup
- Catcher: Wei Wang (王偉) (Olympic Team)
- First Base: Zhe Chen (陳哲) (Olympic Team)
- Second Base: Li Lei (Olympic Team)
- Shortstop: Ma Ke
- Third Base: Wei Zhang
- Right Field: Shuo Yang (楊碩) (Olympic Team)
- Center Field: Lingfeng Sun (孫嶺峰) (Olympic Team)
- Left Field: Jia Yubin
- Designated Hitter: Jiang Xiaoyu
- Starting Pitcher: Chenhao Li (李晨浩) (Olympic Team)
- Starting Pitcher: Nan Wang (王楠) (Olympic Team)
- Starting Pitcher: Zhang Jianwang
- Starting Pitcher: Zhou Jian
- Starting Pitcher: Zheng Xu (徐錚) (Olympic Team)
