Mike Loree, the longest-serving foreign pitcher in Taiwan's professional baseball league CPBL, officially announced plans to retire next month at a press conference in New Taipei on Saturday, citing a desire to be with his family in the United States.
The 37-year-old American right-hander, who has played in the CPBL since 2012, is slated to play his final game on Sept. 2 at New Taipei's Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium, the home stadium of his club, Fubon Guardians.
"I just want to make it very clear that I'm not retiring or I'm not leaving here because I'm unhappy," Loree said. "I love playing for Fubon, I love playing with my teammates, I love playing in the CPBL, and I've loved being in Taiwan for the past 10 years."
Throughout his extensive baseball career, his family has always given him the support that he needed and it is the best decision to be with them, Loree said.
"I want to spend more time with my kids. I want to be the father that I know that I can be, in being present at home with my kids," Loree said. "Going to bed at night with them, waking up in the morning with them. I want to be there for my wife and I want to be a present father at home."
Loree told CNA that his son is 7 years old and just started second grade last week, while his daughter is 5 years old and just started kindergarten in Arizona.
"My son loves basketball, so I'm going to be the basketball coach when I get home. And my daughter loves dance, so I look forward to going along with her to a dance class," Loree said.
His children used to come to Taiwan during summer for two to four months every year. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and related border controls, their time in Taiwan in the last three years has been much shorter, Loree said.
When asked why he chose to retire in September instead of finishing off the current season, Loree said even though he was in Taiwan physically, his mind was with his family.
"I didn't think that was right, to not be here 100 percent and thought that was the right decision to make to retire because you have to be here 100 percent and I knew I couldn't give that anymore," Loree said.
Loree, a household name in Taiwan baseball, is the fourth player in the history of the CPBL to record 100 career wins, which he achieved last month on July 23 after pitching six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the WeiChuan Dragons.
He is also likely to become the first foreign player to be given domestic status for accumulating nine service years in the CPBL, meaning he will be considered a local player and will not count against his team's foreign player quota.
Speaking on the upcoming milestone, Loree suggested that the CPBL lower the nine-year requirement to five or six years to reward foreign players for their commitment to their respective organizations and the CPBL.
However, Loree said that he was honored to earn the status, which will likely be officially granted at a later time. "It's been a lot of hard work and commitment, it's a nice accomplishment."
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel