The Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium is the home ground for the Lamigo Monkeys, one of only four teams which form the Taiwan Baseball League.
Having never experienced a live baseball game before but watched many NBL games on TV, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a trip to Taoyuan.
The league runs from March until about the end of September. The matches start in the evening when it’s slightly more bearable temperatures, the times and dates can be found here (light blue denotes the Taoyuan games).
There are a few ways to travel to Taoyuan from Taipei. A cheaper but longer option would be to take the commuter train that runs along the Airport Express line, but I thought I’d give the HSR a try as trains only take 25 minutes or so from Taipei Main Station.
The baseball stadium is located about 2km from the Taoyuan HSR station, but there are YouBike stations handily placed near the station and the stadium, so this seemed ideal. It’s about a 10 minute ride to reach the stadium.
Once there, you can easily purchase tickets (NT$400 for adults) which will allow you to sit in any of the public seating around there ground.
It took a while to find out how to actually get in though, as the entrance is towards the rear-right side of the ground.
Once inside, if you’re feeling hungry, there are many booths selling food ranging from bento boxes, fried chicken and even a Pizza Hut. There’s also a small convenience store selling snacks, soft drinks and thankfully beer, all at standard prices.
I opted for a Formosa Chang bento and it was very tasty!
The ground holds 20,000 although it was probably well less than a quarter full. Having said that, there were enough people for a great atmosphere.
On to the game. The standard was surprisingly good with the fielding very sharp, the hitting strong (with a couple of home runs), maybe the only slight letdown was the pitching – a little wild with a few free walks for batsmen being hit.
There are many activities to keep the crowd amused. The cheerleaders of course, sometimes dancing during the actual game. When the cheerleaders take a break, they open up the stages to give kids a try. There’s even a rocket ship that takes off during the innings, and the cheeky Lamigo mascot makes a few appearances. The kids at the ground seem to love being there, as do the adults, with chants and dances occurring throughout the match.
In the end the Lamigos pulled through for a good win. I’ll definitely be returning as it was a real blast and the baseball was of a high standard!
Pros
- Fun for everyone
- Lots of food stands
- High standard
Cons
- A bit of a trek outside Taipei city to get there
Prices
Adults: NT$400
Students: NT$300
Children: NT$250
Prices could vary for other matches
Dates
The baseball league runs from March until September.
Traveller Tips
Schedule found here.
Right outside Taoyuan HSR station is Gloria Outlets, and large shopping complex with many outlet stores.
Location
Take the HSR from Taipei Main to Taoyuan, then take a YouBike from there to the stadium.
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