The coronavirus has halted American baseball, but this former Auburn pitcher is taking the mound thousands of miles away
It’s 9 p.m. local time in New Taipei City, Taiwan, where former Auburn baseball player Bryan Woodall lives. Thousands of miles away, his wife Christie, who lives in Columbus with their 19-month-old daughter Emory, starts her day.
The couple wouldn’t have it any other way.
Bryan, a Phenix City, Alabama, native, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 21st round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft. Today, he’s a pitcher for the Fubon Guardians, a team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, a five-team league in Taiwan.
The 33-year-old right-hander has played 13 seasons of professional baseball, but none quite like what he’s experienced this year.
A Red Devil and a Tiger
The league had a shorter offseason due to the originally scheduled 2020 Olympics. Then, Opening Day was pushed back due to COVID-19 concerns — the island of Taiwan closely borders the coast of China.
Those were the only real disruptions to Bryan’s routine. The Guardians have their own training facility, so preseason training was not put on hold.
Taiwan never went into a full lockdown, but Guardians players were not allowed to go out. Meals were catered, and players received temperature checks prior to boarding the bus to and from the practice facility.
“I like having a routine,” Bryan said during a WhatsApp international call with the Ledger-Enquirer. “I like having a schedule. … That was difficult. But now, being able to play has been unbelievable.”
Bryan played for Ron Nelson at Central for four years, earning Alabama class 6A State Player of the Year honors in 2005 after hitting .438 with 31 RBI. He also went 9-1 on the mound that season, with an ERA below 2. He was an All-Bi-City honoree his junior and senior seasons with the Red Devils.
Growing up so close to Auburn and watching the Tigers play as a kid meant there was no place he’d rather have played his college ball.
“It was really the dream school for me,” Bryan said, and when he took his official visit, the campus was everything he’d imagined.
At Auburn, he held a career ERA of 4.75, and was used in roles ranging from midweek starter to fill-in Sunday starter. He was drafted by Arizona prior to his senior season, signed by Fubon in March 2018 and re-signed by the Guardians the following December.
FaceTime calls and late nights
Distance has been the norm for the family since Bryan and Christie met, so they’re accustomed to the late-night or early-morning FaceTime calls that living more than 8,000 miles apart requires.
New Taipei City, the most populous city in the Taiwan, boasts lots of American chain restaurants. Bryan is supplied a translator by the team to help with the language barrier, but many workers in the city — for example, baristas at Starbucks — speak English. He enjoys a sweet tea at Texas Roadhouse “once a week,” according to his wife.
The atmosphere at baseball games is more similar to American college football games than the MLB. Fans stand for the full nine innings and have special chants for each player.
Christie and Emory travel to Taiwan whenever possible to watch Bryan play. The Guardians roll out the red carpet when American players’ families visit, treating them to dinners that can last hours with the team’s upper management.
The Woodalls were actually supposed to leave in a few weeks for the New Taipei City. Due to COVID-19 precautions, that’s probably not going to happen now, Christie said.
“If we went to Taiwan, they have a two week quarantine period,” Christie, a technical writer for TSYS, said. “So if we went there, we’d have to be quarantined in a hotel room for two weeks. And you can’t leave, they bring you meals three times a day.”
It just makes the time they do get to spend together that much more special.
“We’re just grateful, honestly, that he’s able to play and that I’m able to work from home, and we’ll still be able to take care of our little girl,” Christie said.
No more empty stadiums
The CPBL held games without fans since play started on April 11, while other baseball leagues around the world were postponed until May or later.
For Woodall and the rest of the CPBL players, there’s more good news on the horizon.
Baseball fans are now allowed back into Taiwanese stadiums as the pandemic regresses in the country. Up to 1,000 spectators are allowed into ballparks, and must sit three seats apart.
The island — home to 23 million people — had reported just 440 cases and six deaths from Covid-19 as of Friday.
Woodall credits Taiwan’s rapid response to the Taiwanese culture.
“The biggest thing I’ve grown to love here is, the culture is completely based off respect,” Woodall said. “It’s honestly been some of the nicest, friendliest people you’ll ever meet. People are extremely helpful.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 11:05 AM.
