TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Baseball fans flocked to the Taipei Dome (大巨蛋) on Friday (Feb. 21) as the World Baseball Classic (WBC) Qualifiers kicked off, with Taiwan set to face Spain. Sports fans were eager to snap up merchandise at the B1 pop-up shop, and the event drew enthusiastic supporters who began queuing as early as 6 a.m. to secure a spot in the meet-and-greet with cheerleaders. Only 30 tickets distributed daily starting at 10 a.m.
Local cheerleaders, including Qun Qun (峮峮) and Mizuki Lin (林襄), along with South Korean talents Lee A Young (李雅英) and Nam Minjeong (南珉貞), attracted fans to purchase related merchandise. Lee A Young's support towel, priced at NT$630, sold out in less than 20 minutes, despite being NT$50 more expensive than local cheerleaders' towels. Reactions to South Korean merchandise varied, with some fans criticizing the towel's photo resolution while others embraced the price for its collectible value.
The pop-up shop experienced a sales surge on its second day, with over 200 jerseys sold, particularly the customizable blank styles. The inventory of jerseys for players like Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) and Yu Chang (張育成) saw an increase. Pre-orders for various merchandise items surpassed 1,000, drawing attention from an MLB owner who visited the site. Fans also eagerly awaited the midday match between South Africa and Nicaragua.
