Veteran player Lin Yi-Chuan, aged 40, joins the China Baseball City League, temporarily leaving his family to secure a worry-free future.

After leaving the Uni-President Lions, 40-year-old veteran baseball player Lin Yi-Chuan has confirmed his development in this year’s newly founded China Baseball City League (CPB), signing with the Shanghai Chia Tai Dragons. The league is expected to officially begin in January next year.

Lin Yi-Chuan shared a heartfelt post on his personal social media, admitting he will be apart from his family for two months, and wrote an emotional message: “It’s not because I don’t want to be with you, but because I want you to never have to worry about life.” He expressed that this separation is not a farewell, but a preparation for a longer reunion ahead. In his message, he especially thanked his wife for handling everything at home alone and promised his children: “When I return, I will make up for all the lost time.”

According to his agency, Lin Yi-Chuan has signed a short-term contract with a monthly salary of about 40,000 RMB. He has already reported to the team, which has released footage of Lin training. Regarding his choice to develop his career on the mainland, the agency stated that since there are no suitable opportunities in Taiwan at the moment, they hope to extend his playing career by increasing his game time. Throughout his career, Lin has accumulated 2,013 hits, 210 home runs, and 1,142 RBIs. He still refuses to retire easily, choosing to fight once more for both his family and himself.

The full schedule for the CPB’s beginning spring league has been announced. The league will hold warm-up matches on December 29 and 30: on the 29th, the Xiamen Dolphins will face the Shenzhen Blue Sox, and on the 30th, Lin Yi-Chuan’s Shanghai Chia Tai Dragons will compete against the Fuzhou Sea Hawks coached by Lü Wensheng. After the warm-ups, the league will officially kick off on New Year’s Day, with 30 regular-season games played from January 1 to 28. On January 29, the second and third place teams from the regular season will compete in a wildcard game, followed by a best-of-three finals from January 30 to February 1 between the wildcard winner and the regular season champion.