Kuo Dai-yong's three-run homer over the leftfield wall capped a four-run first for the Chinatrust Whales as they toppled the Macoto Cobras in a rain-shortened 5-2 final in Sinjhuang on Saturday night for their third straight win this week.
The victory not only moved the Whales up to a second-place tie with the La New Bears in the latest standings, but also kept their playoff hopes alive with the regular season winding down in the final two weeks of play.
Whales starter Shen Yu-jeh also bounced back nicely from a disheartening one-run loss on Thursday that nipped a career-high six-game winning streak for the emerging lefty ace with five solid innings of two-run ball to get back on the winning track.
"It was a big result for us because it showed that we can still win it [the second half title] if we keep trying our best" Shen said after the game.
His team now trails the top-ranked President Lions by three-and-a-half games with 10 games remaining in the season.
The contest began with the Whales taking advantage of a struggling Chang Hsien-chih who had not won a start for the Cobras since Sept. 1 with four quick runs in the opening frame on a single, a double, a pair of walks and Kuo's towering blast.
Even though the Cobras answered with two runs off Shen in the top of the second on back-to-back RBI singles by Chen Yuan-jia and Wong Tsai-sheng, that turned out to be the only runs they scored before a downpour forced the home plate umpire to call the game at the end of the fifth.
Offensively for the Whales, Kao Jung-chiang also connected for a single and a double with an RBI to help complement Kuo's three-RBI performance.
As for the Cobras, who are guaranteed a spot in the upcoming postseason for winning the first half, despite having lost eight of their last ten, the outlook may be bleak if manager Wu Fu-lien cannot come up with a winning formula soon.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barca secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barca a 2-0 win over
RSS