Lin Hong-yu of the Lamigo Monkeys was elected by his fellow teammates to be the manager for a day in this Sunday’s regular-season contest between the Monkeys and the Brother Elephants at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium.
The second-year catcher out of Chinese Culture University — who came in as a close second to Uni-President’s Wang Jing-ming in the Rookie of the Year selection last season with an impressive .303 batting average, eight homers and 66 RBIs — was chosen by his peers to lead the Monkeys in their final game of the first half to gain some first-hand experience as a manager.
“As long as he [Lin] doesn’t force anyone that’s hurt to play, which he won’t do, I’m okay with whatever decision he’s going to make in the game,” Lamigo manager Hung Yi-chung told reporters yesterday.
With the outcome of the first half already determined (the Monkeys finished at No. 2 behind the top-ranked Lions), he is not afraid to “mix things up a little bit” to bring some fun to the game. Lin will have a chance to work out the details for Sunday’s contest with fellow hurler Lin Jing-min, who likewise won the honor to serve as pitching coach for the day, and will name the starter and the pinch--hitter in late innings.
“Since the guys all wanted me to have a crack at it [being the manager for a day], I might as well make the most of it,” Lin Hong-yu said. “I’ll try to pick Coach Hung’s brain as much as I can over the next couple of days to make sure I won’t make a fool of myself.”
Fans will have a chance to participate in Sunday’s game by predicting the starter and the Lamigo lineup, with the winner to be awarded a ball signed by Sunday’s starting lineup, as the Monkeys look to involve their supporters in their final homestand of the first half.
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