CPB league opens with a bang

The Chinese Professional Baseball league swung off its inaugural season with a bang on the New Year's Day with coaches and players expecting the new project to help elevate the game's profile in China.

As the first of its kind in China funded by corporate stakeholders, the CPB league's 2026 spring season got off to a scintillating start in Shenzhen, Guangdong province on Thursday with the host Shenzhen Bluesox routing Fuzhou Sea Knights 8-1 to rousing cheers at the Zhongshan Park Baseball Field in the opening game.

The Bluesox carried on with its momentum to beat the Xiamen Dolphins 5-3 on Friday in its second game to make a statement of its title ambition in the spring season.

The fourth club Shanghai Dragons will take on the Sea Knights on Saturday and Dolphins on Sunday, respectively, to cap off the Week 1 actions of the league.

The four clubs will play a total of 30 regular-season games through Jan 28, with the top-placed club directly advancing into the best-of-three final series, which will kick off on Jan 30. An extra playoff between the runner-up and third-placed teams will be held on Jan 29 to decide the top seed's final challenger.

A fifth club, the Changsha Want Want Happy, is expected to join the league in the 2026 summer season.

A total of 114 players from the Chinese mainland, Chinese Taipei, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and overseas leagues in Japan and the United States have signed up with the CPB league's spring season.

Star players featured in the spring season include Chinese national team pitcher Gong Haicheng, South Korea's Yu Sang-pin, former MLB outfielder Dillon Thomas (Fuzhou) and his US compatriot Jaxx Groshans, a former minor league prospect with Boston Red Sox.

The opening-day action drew a capacity crowd at the Zhongshan Park field with live music, fan-engaging activities and the energetic dance of "CPB Girls", the league's official cheerleading squad, making it an electrifying baseball party during the holiday break.

"You don't get to see this kind of atmosphere in China very often for baseball," Raymond Chang, head coach of the Bluesox, said after his team's opening win.

"The CPB's done a great job to give this opportunity to us today. This is a great step forward for Chinese baseball and for continuing growing the game here. It's been wonderful," said Chang, a Chinese-American who played in the MLB minor league from 2005-16.

Chang, who's been involved in the MLB's Development Center talent cultivation program in China since he retired in 2017, said he has high hopes for the CPB league to promote baseball's public appeal in China.

"One of the most important things about this game is letting the fans enjoy the game," said Chang, who represented Team China at the World Baseball Classic four times from 2009-23.

"Baseball is not all about the ball and the bat, or the pitching and throwing, it's about the atmosphere. I am very happy to see the sold-out crowd for Game 1. I think that's a great step in the right direction."

Shenzhen's American import Groshans, who hit the CPB league's first-ever home run in the host's second straight victory on Friday, said the new league has impressed him a lot.

"Being able to be in this league and having my name in the record books feels really good," said the 27-year-old native of LA.

"I wasn't expecting as much energy being here. The music playing all the time and everybody's cheering, it exceeded my expectations in a very good way.

"This is an unbelievable environment. If this was how it got started, I can't wait to see how the season unfolds."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn