TAIPEI (AFP) - Former Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez has joined Taiwanese outfit EDA Rhinos in a major boost to the island's favourite sport, the team said on Tuesday.

Ramirez, who slugged 555 home runs with a .312 batting average in his Major League Baseball career, was greeted by scores of cheering fans late on Monday at the airport in the southern city of Kaohsiung.