'Mr CPBL' Cheng-Min Peng elected to Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame

Taiwan Baseball Hall of Fame, led by the newly elected President Hua-Wei Lin, also a Hall of Famer himself, announced the new class of inductees for 2026 with Mr CPBL Cheng-Min Peng winning the election on his first ballot while Barcelona 1992 Olympics Silver Medal-winning manager Lai-Fa Lee and Father of NTSU Baseball Kuo-Hui Lin both earned posthumous honours.

President Lin expressed his gratitude to the screening committee for selecting Lee and Lin, and to the 56 media representatives who voted to elect Peng. All candidates needed 75% of the votes to earn induction into the Hall of Fame.

The 16-member Screening Committee is responsible for electing Hall of Famers from the Japanese ruling era, the post-war era, and the pre-professional era. Lai-Fa Lee received 14 of the 15 valid votes, while Kuo-Hui Lin received 12 in a second-round vote.

The 56 media members are responsible for electing the Hall of Famers from the professional era. With 55 of 56 tickets returned and four invalid, Cheng-Min Peng received 42 votes. In contrast, former Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions legendary pitcher and manager Chang-Hung Hsieh received 39 votes, making Peng the only inductee of the class.

Lai-Fa Lee (1956-2024) had a decorated coaching career, serving on the Chinese Taipei coaching staff at four Summer Olympics (Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Athens 2004). He was the only baseball coach from Taiwan to have participated in four Olympics. In 1992, Lee served as the Chinese Taipei manager in Barcelona and won the silver medal, the best record in Chinese Taipei’s Olympic record to date. Lee was the manager of the CPBL Chinatrust Whales from 1997 to 2001, leading the Whales to a regular-season title in 1999. After Lee retired from professional baseball, he devoted himself to coaching grassroots and academic baseball for 15 years, developing countless players during that time until his death.

Mr CPBL Cheng-Min Peng was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 Draft and made his professional debut for the Brother Elephants that same year. Since his rookie season, Peng has been voted to the All-Star Game as a starter for 19 consecutive seasons, and he has led the voting 15 times. Peng is the only player in CPBL history to hit over .300 for 16 straight seasons, winning five batting titles, and stealing bases for 19 consecutive seasons. Most of his career numbers were among CPBL’s all-time top five, while his 1,090 scored runs, 1,515 singles, 1,033 walks, and 80 intentional walks led CPBL in all-time categories.

In addition to his performance on the field, Peng was also a leader among the players, communicating with fans, encouraging them to stay loyal during difficult times. ‘To those who stopped coming to the park to watch us play, please continue to follow us, as we will work harder to earn your trust back. If one day we can earn your trust and support again, please don’t hesitate to give us your hand and encouragement.’

Peng, along with another Hall of Famer, Chin-Feng Chen, was well regarded as a symbol of integrity and courage during the infamous game-fixing era of CPBL and eventually led baseball to a brighter, stronger future.

Kuo-Hui Lin (1935-2019), who started coaching baseball in 1963 at the then Provincial Sports College and continued until his retirement in 1998, has taught many future Chinese Taipei managers from the days of the Provincial Sports College through to the National Taiwan University of Sport. Lin spent his career researching, promoting, and teaching baseball rules while serving as an umpire and a member of the selection committee. In 1979, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) commissioned Lin and Yung-Chang Chien to publish the first-ever edition of the “Official Baseball Rules,” authorised by the national governing body of the sport. In 1983, Lin was appointed by the government to coach baseball in Ecuador, becoming the first coach in Taiwan baseball history to be sent overseas. Lin also mastered Japanese and was a key force in baseball, exchanging programs with Japan and Latin America during the latter part of his career.

The induction ceremony will be held in the summer of 2026.