Taiwan face tough battles for three straight days starting tomorrow in Group B of the Premier 12 tournament, hosting Japan, Venezuela and Puerto Rico as they chase a berth at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Taiwan have an all-star line-up from the nation’s professional clubs and players plying their trade in Japan and the US, although there are concerns regarding the depleted pitching staff.
Head coach Hong Yi-chung is expected to use Lamigo’s Chen Yu-hsun and Chen Hong-wen of the Fubon Guardians in late-innings situations, although there are questions over their consistency this season.
Hong will likely look to three overseas-based pitchers in his starting rotation: Chiang Shao-ching, a 3A player with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, Chang Yi at Japan’s Orix Buffaloes and Hu Chih-wei, a 2A player with the MLB’s Chicago Cubs.
Hong, manager of this year’s CPBL championship-winning Lamigo Monkeys, has other options as starters, including Liao Yi-chung of the Brothers and Chen Kuan-yu from the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, but he will not have veteran left-hander Chen Wei-yin, who is pitching for the MLB’s Florida Marlins.
Premier 12 reached an understanding with US baseball officials that players active on the 40-man rosters at MLB teams would not be named in national squads.
There are other notable absences. Hong named several top Taiwanese pitchers, including top-rated closer C.C. Lee of the Brothers, Sung Chia-hao from the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan and Liu Chih-jung, the outstanding 20-year-old who excelled for Taiwan as they won the Asian Baseball Championship last month and is heading to the US after signing with the Boston Red Sox, but they cannot play due to injuries.
Hong has the power hitters from this year’s Taiwan Series, including league MVP Chu Yu-hsien from the Monkeys, who hit 30 home runs this season, and shortstop Lin Li and first baseman Chen Chun-hsiu, who finished one-two in batting averages this year.
“The players are still making adjustments, some are not batting so well and kept getting struck out,” Hong said yesterday. “They have to get used to foreign pitchers, who have different styles than what they normally face.”
“Our pitchers also need more time to get into their groove, as they have to adjust the different brand of baseball at this tournament,” he said.
Group B opens tomorrow with Japan playing Venezuela at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan host Puerto Rico at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan pitching coach Wang Chien-ming, a former New York Yankees pitcher, called on players to go all-out to win their opener.
“Taking the first game is very important,” Wang said. “Winning the opener boosts confidence.”
“We have more young players this time. They can only learn and grow through the stimulation of international competition,” he said. “A victory will bolster the team spirit and lift the enthusiasm of fans at the ballpark.”
On Wednesday, Japan face Puerto Rico at 6pm in Taoyuan, while Taiwan play Venezuela at 6:30pm in Taichung.
Taiwan beat Australia 7-1 in a warm-up game in Taichung last night.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to