Chen Yung-chi's (
The 22-year-old leadoff man, who spent the past two years in the Seattle Mariners' minor league system, racked up 10 total bases with three doubles in the game to account for nearly half of Taiwan's total run production, making him an instant man-of-the-hour back in Taiwan.
Taitung county hero
PHOTO: LIN FANG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
"All I wanted to do was to bring home the runners," the talented young slugger from Taitung County said after the game. "I guess I did OK today."
Despite knowing that the outcome of the game had no bearing on their chances for advancing into the next round after earlier losses to South Korea and Japan, the Taiwanese squad still gave 100 percent in its final effort.
Tentative start
PHOTO: LIN FANG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Taiwan didn't have a good start, with the first 13 hitters managing to produce only one run on four hits through the first three innings.
It was not until Chen's towering grand slam over the left field wall with two outs in the fourth inning that Taiwan finally got its hitting rhythm, along with a comfortable 5-0 lead.
After Taiwan scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on Chen's second double of the game and Chinese reliever Bu Tao's (
With China answering with a two-run sixth, Taiwan batters struck again in the top of the eighth -- this time led by outfielder Chan Chih-yao (
Each team added another run in the ninth with Cheng Chang-ming's (鄭昌明) one-run double to deep left-center for Taiwan and China's final run scored on a wild pitch by Taiwan's Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志).
Starter Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen (
Three other Taiwanese players besides Chen had multi-hit games, headed by shortstop Hu Chin-lung's (
"Our bats finally came alive today, but the defense was not quite up to par," Taiwan manager Lin Hua-wei (
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