Uni-Lions 2026 Season Review: Beyond 64 Wins, a New Ballpark, UniGirls and the Challenge of Generational Change

TAINAN, Taiwan — October 15, 2026

Judged strictly by their record, the 2026 Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions were a competitive baseball team that nevertheless fell short of the standards traditionally associated with one of Taiwan's most successful franchises.

But look beyond the standings, and the season tells a much larger story.

For the Lions, 2026 represented one of the most significant transitions in recent franchise history.

A new home ballpark opened. Their cheerleading organization expanded. The club developed an increasingly ambitious calendar of entertainment, music, cultural collaborations and promotional events.

Meanwhile, one of the franchise's most recognizable veterans prepared to close the final chapter of his playing career.

Together, these developments raised a fundamental question.

As Taiwanese professional baseball evolves into an industry combining athletic competition, entertainment, regional identity and commercial experiences, how can a franchise with more than three decades of history remain relevant without losing the traditions that made it successful?

The Lions completed the 120-game regular season with 64 wins, 55 losses and one tie, producing a .538 winning percentage.

They finished the first half at 30–29–1, tied for third place.

In the second half, they improved to 34–26, finishing second with a .567 winning percentage.

Those numbers demonstrated that the Lions remained capable of competing near the top of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

They also exposed a problem with consistency.

Yet the most consequential developments of 2026 may ultimately have taken place beyond the field.

The Asia-Pacific Baseball Stadium in Tainan became the center of a new home-ballpark era.

UniGirls continued evolving into a larger entertainment brand.

The franchise embraced cross-industry partnerships designed to introduce baseball to new audiences.

And the retirement of Chen Yung-chi symbolized the inevitable transition between generations.

For the Lions, 2026 was not simply another season.

It was a dividing line between an established legacy and an uncertain but potentially exciting future.

1. A 64–55–1 Record: Competitive, but Not Dominant

The Lions finished the first half of the season with 30 wins, 29 losses and one tie.

Their .508 winning percentage placed them only slightly above the break-even mark.

For a franchise with a history of championships and sustained expectations, that represented a relatively modest performance.

The Wei Chuan Dragons led the first-half standings at 39–21.

The Fubon Guardians followed at 34–26.

The Lions, meanwhile, finished tied with the TSG Hawks at 30–29–1.

The standings illustrated a straightforward reality: the Lions were capable of winning games, but they had not established themselves as one of the league's most consistently successful teams during the first half.

The second half produced a more encouraging picture.

The Lions went 34–26, improving their winning percentage to .567 and climbing to second place.

The CTBC Brothers finished first at 36–24, just two games ahead.

Compared with their first-half performance, the Lions won four additional games in the second half, improving their winning percentage by approximately 5.9 percentage points.

That improvement matters.

It demonstrated that the Lions had not lost their ability to compete with the league's stronger clubs.

But it also created an important question.

If the Lions were capable of playing at nearly a .570 pace in the second half, why had they struggled to separate themselves from .500 earlier in the season?

There is no responsible way to answer that question from win-loss records alone.

Player availability, pitching usage, offensive efficiency, defensive execution and performance in close games could all have contributed.

A definitive assessment would require monthly results, run differential, pitching workloads and individual player statistics.

Without those supporting numbers, attributing the first-half struggles to one particular weakness would be speculation.

Nevertheless, the broader conclusion remains clear.

The Lions do not need to prove that they can compete.

They need to demonstrate that they can maintain that level of competition over an entire season.

That distinction may be the most important baseball lesson from their 2026 campaign.

2. The New Ballpark: A New Chapter for Baseball in Tainan

On March 29, 2026, the Lions began a new chapter at the main stadium of the Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Center.

For the franchise, the significance extended far beyond a change of venue.

The relationship between the Lions and Tainan is deeply rooted in Taiwanese baseball culture.

For generations of supporters, the old Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium represented much more than a place to watch games.

It was where children attended their first professional baseball games.

Where parents introduced their families to the sport.

Where supporters celebrated championships, endured disappointing seasons and watched successive generations of players establish themselves.

Moving to a new home therefore meant transferring decades of emotional attachment into a different environment.

The franchise approached its opening celebrations with an emphasis on maintaining its connection to the city.

Tainan-born singer Crowd Lu and former UniGirls member Lin Cai-xin were among the performers associated with the new-ballpark celebrations.

Their involvement helped reinforce the idea that the move was not intended to erase the club's past.

Instead, the Lions were attempting to carry that history into a modern setting.

From a commercial perspective, the new venue also created opportunities to redesign the entire spectator experience.

A modern ballpark is not simply a collection of seats surrounding a playing field.

It is a platform for ticketing products, food and beverage services, premium experiences, merchandise, sponsorship activation and fan engagement.

The Lions' introduction of dedicated spaces such as Lions Lounge reflected this broader approach.

Premium hospitality products allow teams to offer different experiences to different audiences rather than relying entirely on standard admission tickets.

However, a new stadium does not automatically guarantee commercial success.

Opening-day excitement can create an impressive first impression, but the long-term indicators are more important.

Does average attendance increase?

Can the club attract spectators to weekday games?

Do families return after their first visit?

Does spending per attendee improve?

Can the venue support financially sustainable operations throughout the season?

Those questions require reliable financial and attendance data.

At the time of writing, sufficiently complete public information was not available to establish a definitive year-over-year comparison of the Lions' stadium revenue, operating profit or per-capita spending between 2025 and 2026.

Consequently, it would be premature to claim that the new ballpark has already delivered a major increase in profitability.

What can be said is that the Asia-Pacific venue provides the Lions with a valuable opportunity to reshape their commercial identity.

Turning that opportunity into sustained growth will be the real test.

3. UniGirls: From Cheerleading Squad to Entertainment Brand

No discussion of the Lions' commercial development in 2026 would be complete without examining UniGirls.

Before the new home ballpark opened, the franchise announced five new official members: Bacon, Anqi, Zizhu, Zilin and Yanzhen.

Japanese member Ayaka Fujimoto also joined the organization.

These additions reflected an effort to expand both the scale and international character of the cheerleading brand.

According to information released by the club in connection with its second-half promotional activities, UniGirls had grown to 26 official members and six trainees in 2026.

At that scale, describing UniGirls as merely a traditional cheerleading squad misses much of its commercial significance.

Its members contribute to live-game entertainment, stage performances, social media content, promotional appearances and potential brand partnerships.

The August 15–16 event titled "First Crush" provided a particularly revealing example.

The club organized special performances involving the UniGirls lineup and planned the release of the group's fifth original single.

This was not simply another occasion for fans to watch cheerleaders perform between innings.

It demonstrated the growing importance of music, personality-driven entertainment and content production within the franchise's wider business strategy.

UniGirls offers the Lions at least two potential advantages.

The first is access to audiences who may not initially consider themselves baseball fans.

Someone might discover the franchise through a particular UniGirls member, a music performance or a social media clip before deciding to attend a game.

The second is the ability to maintain fan engagement outside the baseball schedule.

Music releases, merchandise, appearances and collaborations can create additional opportunities for interaction.

But this model also carries risks.

An entertainment brand that depends heavily on individual personalities may be vulnerable when popular members leave.

Likewise, attracting someone to the stadium for a performance does not guarantee that person will develop a lasting interest in baseball.

That distinction matters.

Social media followers and event-day attention are useful indicators of reach, but they do not automatically demonstrate long-term fan loyalty.

The most valuable outcome would be a conversion from entertainment interest to sustained baseball engagement.

A spectator who attends a Lions game because of UniGirls and returns later because of the team itself represents a much more meaningful achievement than a single viral performance.

That is where the interests of the cheerleading organization and the baseball franchise most clearly align.

4. Theme Days: Selling More Than Nine Innings of Baseball

The Lions organized seven major theme-day programs during the first half of 2026 and another six during the second half.

The range of concepts was notably broad.

They included an Ultraman collaboration, summer-themed entertainment, UniGirls-focused events, J-LIONS, local cultural programming and Chen Yung-chi's retirement celebrations.

At first glance, these initiatives may appear unrelated.

In practice, they reflect a coherent commercial philosophy.

The Lions want their ballpark to become a destination for people with different interests, not exclusively those who follow baseball closely.

The Ultraman collaboration illustrates the strategy.

A recognizable entertainment franchise can attract families, children and fans of Japanese special-effects productions.

By incorporating character appearances and drone-show elements, the Lions attempted to offer an experience extending beyond the game itself.

J-LIONS represented another approach.

Held at Taipei Dome from August 21 to 23, the program combined entertainment concepts involving Lions players with performances featuring artists and idols from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

Events of this type can serve a purpose beyond immediate ticket sales.

They allow a Tainan-based franchise to reach audiences in other geographic markets.

The club's September Tainan-themed programming, meanwhile, returned to the importance of local identity.

The "巷仔內的西拉雅" concept connected baseball with Tainan's cultural memory and Siraya heritage.

These initiatives reveal three distinct commercial objectives.

Entertainment collaborations can introduce the club to new demographic groups.

Large-scale music and performance events can expand brand recognition.

Local cultural programming can deepen emotional connections with the home community.

However, a busy promotional calendar is not necessarily a profitable one.

Major events can involve significant spending on licensing, performers, production equipment, staffing, marketing and venue operations.

Without detailed revenue and expense figures, it is impossible to calculate their return on investment accurately.

The Lions clearly demonstrated ambition in their marketing strategy during 2026.

Whether each individual promotion generated sustainable commercial value remains a separate question requiring stronger financial evidence.

5. Chen Yung-chi's Retirement: The End of an Era

Another defining storyline of the Lions' 2026 season was the retirement of Chen Yung-chi.

Chen was more than a veteran player approaching the end of his career.

He represented a connection between different eras of the franchise.

His professional journey included experience in the American minor leagues, appearances for Taiwan in international competition and a lengthy career in the CPBL.

That path reflected broader changes in Taiwanese baseball itself.

The Lions organized a series of activities recognizing Chen's final season.

These included events connected to his hometown of Taitung in August and retirement celebrations at the new Asia-Pacific home stadium on September 19 and 20.

Such occasions serve a purpose beyond honoring individual achievements.

They allow fans to participate in the preservation of franchise history.

For longtime supporters, Chen represented years of shared memories.

For younger spectators, the celebrations offered an opportunity to understand the people who helped shape the club's identity.

But retirement also creates practical challenges.

When experienced players leave, teams must replace more than their statistical production.

Veterans can contribute leadership, preparation habits, institutional knowledge and influence within the clubhouse.

Those qualities are difficult to measure and cannot always be reproduced by signing or developing a player with similar offensive numbers.

For the Lions, Chen's departure highlighted the importance of succession planning.

The next generation must eventually assume responsibility not only for performance on the field, but also for maintaining the standards and culture associated with the franchise.

6. Tradition: The Lions' Greatest Strength and a Potential Burden

The Uni-President Lions are the only original CPBL franchise to have remained in the league continuously since its inaugural season.

The club has won 10 Taiwan Series championships.

That history represents a competitive and commercial asset that newer franchises cannot easily replicate.

Supporters know the team's stories.

The city remembers its players.

Families pass their loyalty from one generation to the next.

In professional sports, this kind of emotional continuity can be extraordinarily valuable.

But history also creates expectations.

Supporters of a franchise with 10 championships are unlikely to consider a slightly above-.500 season the ultimate definition of success.

And the competitive environment has changed.

Newer organizations can build strong rosters through drafting, player development, analytics and investment.

They can also establish their own identities through creative marketing and community engagement.

Meanwhile, fans have more entertainment options than ever before.

For the Lions, the challenge is to preserve their heritage without becoming constrained by it.

Young players must continue receiving opportunities to develop.

Past contributions from veteran stars cannot substitute indefinitely for future production.

Entertainment initiatives must attract new audiences without making baseball itself feel secondary.

And the new ballpark must welcome new spectators while maintaining the trust of longtime supporters.

These are not simple objectives.

Yet the way the franchise addresses them will help determine its position in Taiwanese baseball over the next decade.

7. Looking Toward 2027: Turning Excitement Into Sustainable Growth

The Lions completed several important transitions in 2026.

They opened a new home stadium.

They expanded UniGirls.

They diversified their promotional calendar.

And they said farewell to an important veteran.

But the real value of those changes will only become clear over time.

On the field, the priority should be consistency.

The difference between the Lions' first-half and second-half records suggests that maintaining a stable level of performance throughout the season remains an important challenge.

Pitching depth, offensive efficiency, player development and effective workload management will all be central considerations.

Commercially, the club must transform new-ballpark excitement into a repeatable habit.

Fans cannot be expected to attend only opening games, major theme days and retirement celebrations.

Weekday games matter.

Transportation and ticketing convenience matter.

Comfortable facilities and family-friendly experiences matter.

So does the perception that a regular baseball game offers good value for money.

In branding, UniGirls and entertainment collaborations provide important opportunities to reach new audiences.

But lasting success requires turning attention into loyalty.

That process may matter more than the popularity of any individual event.

Finally, the Lions must develop the next generation of recognizable franchise leaders.

A club's history does not disappear when a veteran retires.

But history remains meaningful only when new players carry it forward.

Conclusion: The Lions' 2026 Season Was About More Than 64 Wins

Sixty-four wins, 55 losses and one tie.

That was the Lions' final regular-season record in 2026.

It demonstrated that the franchise remained competitive.

But it did not capture the full significance of the year.

The opening of the Asia-Pacific ballpark marked a new chapter in Tainan's baseball culture.

The expansion of UniGirls and the development of increasingly diverse theme-day programming illustrated the changing economics of Taiwanese professional sports.

Chen Yung-chi's retirement reminded supporters that even the most established franchises must eventually navigate generational change.

These developments may appear separate, but they lead to the same question.

How can the Lions carry the value accumulated over more than three decades into the decades ahead?

The 2026 season did not provide every answer.

It did, however, establish a clear starting point.

Filling a new stadium is important.

Producing memorable entertainment is important.

Building a recognizable brand is important.

But ultimately, a professional baseball franchise must return to the fundamentals.

Develop better players.

Build a more competitive team.

And give supporters reasons to remain loyal over time.

As the lights come on at the new ballpark, another generation of players steps into the batter's box, and children in the stands learn to cheer for the Lions for the first time, a historic franchise begins writing its next chapter.

For Baseball Dream players

The Lions' 2026 season also offers useful lessons for Baseball Dream players.

In Baseball Dream, players take the role of an agent developing a self-created baseball player, rather than acting as a team owner or general manager.

That distinction changes how long-term success should be approached.

The objective is not simply to maximize a player's current ratings.

It is to plan and develop a sustainable professional career.

Chen Yung-chi's career illustrates why a player's value cannot be measured solely by peak performance.

Experience, consistency, leadership and contributions to team culture can remain important throughout a long career.

Young players need time to develop.

Established players need roles that make the best use of their strengths.

Veterans require thoughtful decisions about training intensity and playing workload.

The Lions' contrasting first-half and second-half performances also highlight the importance of consistency.

A player may produce exceptional performances in a small number of games, but a successful career is built through sustained improvement and reliable contributions.

In real baseball and in Baseball Dream, the most important investment is not necessarily the next game.

It is the player's next stage of development.

Dream Sports Network