Taipei - Fourteen foreign and local baseball players were
questioned by prosecutors in Taiwan Thursday as new evidence emerged
in an investigation into alleged match-fixing by the T-Rex team.
The 14 include five foreign players. Three of them - including
former US Major League baseball player Cory Bailey - have been
suspended from playing indefinitely after they were questioned on
October 8 and released on bail.
The five foreign players questioned by the Panchiao Prosecutors'
Office Thursday were Baily (US), Leovildo Bargas (Venezuela), Willy
Lebron (Dominican Republic), Napoleon Calzado (Dominican Republic)
and Jose Leon (Puerto Rico).
The Panchiao Prosecutors' Office began a match-fixing probe in
early October after being tipped off that that the T-Rex team had
allowed a gangster ring to run the team.
Several players, coaches and staff members were questioned on
October 8.
The investigation concerns matches between March 19 and September
21 between T-Rex and five other Taiwan baseball teams.
The prosecutors' office is investigating claims that T-Rex ordered
its players to throw a match by asking a staff member or interpreter
to wear a certain necklace, cap or wrist band.
It is alleged that to throw games a foreign pitcher was paid 8,000
US dollars while a foreign batter 5,000 US dollars. A Taiwan pitcher
was paid 9,700 US dollars and a Taiwan batter 6,500 US dollars.
On Thursday, Chao Shou-po, director-general of the Chinese
Professional Baseball League (CPBL), reiterated CPBL's rule that a
player who has been indicted or released on bail would be dismissed.
'However, CPBL will help the innocent players transfer to other
teams,' he said.
The CPBL has been suspended from playing pending the outcome of
the investigation.
Taiwan's six professional baseball teams all have financial
problems due to low attendance at baseball matches.
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