Kuo Hso-wei’s RBI-single capped a three-run fifth that turned a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 lead and the Lamigo Monkeys held on to defeat the Uni-President Lions by the same score at the Greater Kaohsiung Baseball Stadium last night.
The win not only gave the Monkeys a clean sweep for the weekend series against the first-half champs, but also extended their current win streak to five straight, maintaining their four-game lead over the second-place Elephants in the standings.
In an effort to avoid the series sweep, a very focused Lion pack drew first blood against Monkey starter Lin Jia-wei with a one in the opening frame on the strength of Kao Guo-ching’s run-scoring double. They doubled their lead three innings later when Kao hit his league-best 21st homer of the year, a solo blast to dead center in the fourth that made it 2-0.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The game turned into a defensive struggle as neither offense was able to produce another against the superb pitching of Lin and the Lions bullpen, the former cruising through the seventh unharmed, and the latter combining for three innings of shutout relief.
Picking up the close win was Lin, who improved to 3-2 for the year, while the loss went to his counterpart Chen Yi-chen, who fell to 2-3 for the season.
ELEPHANTS 6, BULLS 3
The Brother Elephants avenged a bitter loss on Saturday night by doubling up on the Sinon Bulls in a 6-3 decision at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City last night to avoid a sweep by their nemeses from Taichung in the weekend series.
Starting pitcher Cheng Chi-hong stretched his winning streak to three straight with another sound effort off the mound, pitching two-run ball into the seventh before being relieved by his bullpen.
His offense also provided the run support that had been missing in their two previous losses in which they scored four runs each, to back up the lefty ace, led by Chang Cheng-wei’s 2-for-4 hitting with a pair of RBIs.
Also starring was Wang Sheng-wei, who went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and scored twice to help his team pick up the much-needed victory.
Taking the loss was Sinon starter Lin Keh-chien, who gave up four early runs to put his team in a hole from which they couldn’t escape.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946