Los Angeles, Jan. 29 (CNA) The New York Mets organization will again be giving away limited-edition Taiwan-themed replica jerseys during the team's 17th annual Taiwan Heritage Day this summer.
According to a photograph of the jersey released online by the Mets on Friday, the replica jersey will come in blue and orange, the Mets' team colors, with the name "Taiwan" and the number "1" printed on the back.
The jersey is not for sale but will be given away to people who buy tickets for the Aug. 28 game against the Colorado Rockies, which are expected to go on sale in mid-February.
It will be the second year in a row that the Flushing-based team is giving away the Taiwan-themed jersey to fans at Taiwan Heritage Day, which has been held since 2005 with the support of Taiwan's representative office in New York to promote Taiwanese culture.
Last year, the MLB team prepared a similar "Taiwan No. 1" jersey to fans who bought tickets on the Mets' official website for a game at Citi Field on Aug. 29.
The team originally planned to give jerseys to the first 500 people who purchased tickets to Taiwan Day in 2021, but due to high demand for the collectible, the team eventually distributed 2,350 of them, according to Wayne Wang (王偉成), account executive at Mets Asian Development & Services.
The jersey is a replica of the one worn by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the Mets' Taiwan Day in 2019 when she was featured in a promotional video played on the centerfield screen.
For Taiwan Day in 2021, Hsiao Bi-Khim (蕭美琴), Taiwan's top representative to the U.S., threw out the ceremonial first pitch to mark the special event.
Other famous Taiwanese to throw out the first ball at the annual celebration include Oscar award-winning film director Ang Lee (李安), Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮), Taiwan's only Nobel Prize laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), and Taiwanese Youtuber Tsai Aga (蔡阿嘎).
The Mets have not yet announced who will throw out the first ball at this year's Taiwan Day, and they did not say how many replica jerseys would be distributed this year.
