Burcu Erkekli, a 27‑year‑old right‑handed reliever for the Taichung Hawks, became Taiwan’s most watched pitcher overnight after three throws registered a jaw‑dropping 168 km/h (104 mph) on 18 September at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. Television slow‑motion showed nothing supernatural; radar and spin‑rate readouts did. The numbers did something else: they exploded on screens and in transfer rumours.
What happened on the mound
Erkekli had been a dependable setup man this season, averaging 142 km/h (88 mph) before the Taichung game. Teammates say his mechanics did not change; their disbelief was for the screens. Catcher Juha Eskelä said the ball moved as it always had, but the equipment told another story. "On the field it felt normal; the meter showed a different universe," he said — Juha Eskelä, catcher.
Isabela Pinheiro, a biomechanist at National Taiwan Sport University who was invited to review footage, said her initial tests found no sudden change in Erkekli’s arm speed or release point. Instead, she and her team documented a short, simultaneous offset in three independent radar and camera systems used by broadcasters and the league. "The athlete did not turn into a monster overnight; the instruments recorded a transient calibration shift that coincided with a high‑altitude propulsive event above the Taiwan Strait," she said — Isabela Pinheiro, sports scientist.
His arm didn't change; the sky did.
Isabela Pinheiro, sports scientist
Offers and fallout
Within 48 hours agents and club executives were on the phone. Renata Vodák, Erkekli’s agent, said she had fielded bids totalling roughly NT$300 million (about US$10 million) from three CPBL clubs and one Japanese team. Bookmakers also reacted: Márcio M. Pacheco, who tracks Asia‑Pacific wagering flows, said online markets temporarily halted bets after the anomaly, with exposed stakes estimated at NT$1.2 billion (about US$40 million). "We saw numbers we simply could not price," he said — Márcio M. Pacheco, betting analyst. Alex Preciado, principal owner of the Hawks, confirmed the club had submitted a preliminary buy‑out proposal and asked the league to postpone any record certification until technical checks were completed. "We will not sign anything that later proves inflated," he said — Alex Preciado, club owner.
OrbitalX and the records
OrbitalX acknowledged on Wednesday that an upper‑stage burn on 17 September passed over the area and produced a brief reflection of radio and radar waves as propellant plume particles ionised. Sigur oli L. Hermanns, OrbitalX communications, said the company had shared orbital telemetry with Taiwanese authorities and with independent engineers. "Our telemetry shows a confined event at 02:12 local time that could produce anomalous radar reflections under certain geometries," he said — Sigur oli L. Hermanns, OrbitalX communications. Carlota C. Gaspar of the CPBL said the league had opened a technical review and would not validate any league record until two independent testing houses cleared the equipment. "Statistical records depend on reliable instruments," she said — Carlota C. Gaspar, CPBL competition director.
Erkekli has tried to treat the attention like noise. "I woke up to messages I couldn't answer," he said in an interview while throwing light bullpen sessions at the Hawks' training ground. Teammates have embraced him; fans have queued for photographs. Whether the 168 km/h number joins the official annals will depend on the cross‑checks now under way. For now, Taiwan has a player whose fame was fuelled as much by the sky as by his arm — and clubs, scientists and bookmakers are arguing about which of the two should get the credit.
