New York Yankees Taiwan Day was held in grand fashion at 7:00 PM on September 10th, Eastern Time. Thousands of Taiwanese people gathered from various states across the United States, with many fans waving “Taiwan Team” rally towels and chanting “Taiwan is brave” slogans, creating a resounding atmosphere in the stadium. This marked the first time in the 122-year history of the New York Yankees that they organized a “Taiwan Day” event. Within days of tickets going on sale, approximately 2,500 tickets were sold out, demonstrating the strong cohesion and sporting diplomacy of overseas Taiwanese.
The President of the North American Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, Bai Yuezhu, stated, “From the East Coast to the West Coast of America, everyone is showing their support for Taiwan through their actions! The fact that all tickets were sold out in just a few days proves the strong unity among Taiwanese people. We are grateful for the professional support from the Yankees organization, as well as from Pacific International Sports Marketing, all volunteers, and sponsoring partners, who worked together to make ‘Taiwan Day’ the most eye-catching cultural stage of the year.”
In honor of Taiwan Day event, the Yankees organization specially gave away exclusive Yankees jerseys and hats to Taiwanese fans. Overseas Community Affairs Council Commissioner Jiang Junlin also donated a signed ball, signed ball card, and signed bat by Wang Chien-ming. The North American Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce prepared “TEAM TAIWAN” rally towels for interaction and sharing with Taiwanese fans, evoking classic memories and emotional connections to Taiwanese baseball.
Commissioner Jiang Junlin expressed, “Sports is the most beautiful form of diplomatic relations. Giving back signed baseballs and bats to fans is a tribute to the legend of Wang Chien-ming and an encouragement for the younger generation to bravely chase their dreams. Through ‘Taiwan Day,’ we hope to introduce Taiwan to more people through baseball and make them fall in love with Taiwan.”
Chuang Chen-hui, a strategic advisor to the President of the Republic of China, pointed out, “From the era of Wang Chien-ming to today’s New York Yankees Taiwan Day, Taiwan has been seen in the international sports arena time and time again. Next, we will collaborate with companies, the Taiwanese community, and youth forces to promote event cooperation, public welfare projects, and youth baseball training, making ‘Taiwan Day’ a sustainable brand.”
Vice President of the North American Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, Hsu Chih-yuan, told the media that the planning for this event started last year and the process was full of challenges because the New York Yankees had never organized a Taiwan-themed day in their 122-year history.
On September 10th, the New York Yankees held their first “Taiwan Day” at home, with an unprecedented scale and enthusiastic response, making it one of the biggest “National Day” themed events in the history of the Yankees. The Yankees organization has actively engaged in discussions with the North American Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce on issues relating to multi-year thematic cooperation, cultural weeks, and community participation, exploring possibilities for extending and expanding their partnership.