An explosive six-run fourth turned a 0-1 deficit into a 6-1 lead as the Uni-President Lions went on defeat the Brother Elephants 8-2 at the Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium last night to win their eighth in their past 10 games.
Lin Chih-shiang’s leadoff walk off Elephants starter Lin Yu-ching, followed by an error by the Elephants second baseman set up Kao Guo-ching’s RBI single that scored the first of six runs in the decisive fourth, as the Lions sent eleven batters to the plate to rough up the Elephants’ pitching.
The six-run cushion was more than ample for Lions starter Yuya Kamada, who overcame a one-run second with a strong second effort over seven frames to win his league-best seventh of the season. The Japanese standout allowed two runs on nine hits, while fanning seven and walking two to improve to a perfect 7-0 mark.
Leading the way at the plate for the Cats was Chang Tai-shan, who went a perfect four-for-four and scored a run for his team to up his average to .343.
Taking the loss was Lin, who looked sharp through the third before running into a world of trouble against an unforgiving Lions lineup that teed off against him with six straight hits to chase the rookie right-hander. Even though two of the six runs he allowed were unearned, his impressive 1.69 ERA heading into last night’s contest took a nasty turn north as it climbed to 2.28.
BULLS 7, MONKEYS 5
Wu Tsong-jung’s two-run double blew a 4-2 game wide open in the top of the ninth as the Sinon Bulls held off a late-game rally by the Lamigo Monkeys to preserve a 7-5 road win at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium last night.
The win not only ups the Bulls’ current win streak to a -season-high three straight, but also brought them to within a game of the third-place Elephants in the standings as they looked to climb out of the cellar.
Trailing by five heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Monkeys scored three runs off the Sinon bullpen to give the home fans something to cheer about.
However, with the bases loaded and the tying run on second, Chen Chin-fong took a hack at the first pitch he saw off Lamigo reliever Lin Yen-fong that bounced to second for the game-ending out that cut the rally short.
Starter Lin Chen-hua was credited with his first career win, while the loss went to the Monkeys’ Lin Jia-wei, who remains winless at 0-3 for the year.
‘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