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Former Dodger Chin-lung Hu makes history in Chinese Professional Baseball League

By Jeffrey Bellone

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN - APRIL 18: Former Major league Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers player, now Fubon Guardians player, Chin-Lung Hu #15, sends regards with no audiences at the scene after hitting a single as his 1000th hit in the league at the top of the 8th inning during the CPBL game between Rakuten Monkeys and Fubon Guardians at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on April 18, 2020 in Taoyuan, Taiwan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)
TAOYUAN, TAIWAN - APRIL 18: Former Major league Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers player, now Fubon Guardians player, Chin-Lung Hu #15, sends regards with no audiences at the scene after hitting a single as his 1000th hit in the league at the top of the 8th inning during the CPBL game between Rakuten Monkeys and Fubon Guardians at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on April 18, 2020 in Taoyuan, Taiwan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images) /
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The one place in the world where baseball is being played has former Dodger Chin-lung Hu making history.

There is baseball being played where Dodger players are involved. Well, sort of. Former Dodger Chin-lung Hu became the fastest player to reach 1,000 hits in the Chinese Professional Baseball League on Saturday.

Hu achieved the milestone in 703 games in the CPBL, where he has a career batting average of .356.

Signed by the Dodgers in 2003, the 36-year-old shortstop remained with the organization until 2010, when he briefly played for the Mets, before signing with the Indians, and finding his way to the CPBL in 2013.

He has played for the Fubon Guardians ever since.

https://twitter.com/ElevenSportsTW/status/1251494158180642818?s=20

Hu was robbed of his 1,000th hit shortly before reaching the milestone.

https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1251499184366247938?s=20

At one time, Hu was considered a top prospect in the Dodgers system. Baseball America ranked him the team’s third best prospect after the 2007 season in which he was the MVP of the Futures Game and the Dodgers’ minor league hitter of the year. He also made his Major League debut in 2007, appearing in 12 games during September.

Hu’s longest stint in the majors came in 2008 when he played 65 games for Los Angeles. Unable to figure out major league pitching (he struggled to a .181 batting average), he was sent back down to the minors where he mostly remained until he decided to pick up his career in Taiwan.

The CPBL, based in Taiwan, became the first professional sports league to return to action amid the global coronavirus pandemic when the season opened on April 12. Baseball fans are watching with bated breath to see how the league is able to operate while following strict public health protocols, such as playing in front of empty stands, perhaps an early example for Major League Baseball to follow in the states.

After recording his 1,000th hit, Hu turned to salute the empty stands in an eery reminder of the circumstances surrounding the timing of the achievement.

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