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Commencement of the 2011 Asia Series

CPBL Players hope to keep the championship trophy of Asia Series in Taiwan. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The Perth Heats from Australia is the 2010~2011 season champion of the ABL. Since the ABL is held from every November to the following year's January, the Perth Heats is in fact the league champion from last year's season. Nevertheless, this team composes of many athletes from the Minor League of the US.

The Korea Professional Baseball (KPB) is represented by Samsung Lions and is the third time the team has entered the Asia Series. The Samsung Lions entered the Asia Series in 2005 and 2006, and won the runners-up in 2005.

The champion team of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) won the title of the previous four Asia Series (formerly known as Konami Cup). This year, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Pacific League won the "Number One" title of the NPB, which will then represent the NPB to participate in the Asia Series. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks currently boasts the strongest team formation ever to be seen in the NPB.

With regard to CPBL, the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions won the CPBL title and is the fourth time in five years to do so. The Lions participated in the Asia Series for the first time in 2007, but the results were far from satisfactory; however, fortune favors the audacious and the Lions won back-to-back victories in the CPBL. In the subsequent face-off with KPB's SK Wyverns in 2008, the Lions prevailed and advanced into the finals, where the Lions and NPB's Saitama Seibu Lions had an exhilarating match. This year, the 7-Eleven Lions once again advance into the Asia Series. With home court advantage, the Lions anticipates successful victories in the days to come! Surely no one can afford to miss the exciting and breathtaking 2011 Asia Series!

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50084005&lang=en

Sports Affairs Council, Taiwan
Mei-Yun, Lee, +886-2-8771-1870
0159@mail.sac.gov.tw