Taiwan took on and beat Asia's official No. 1 team on Wednesday, defeating South Korea 4-2 in Havana at the Intercontinental Baseball Cup.
Taiwan had eight hits to South Korea's six hits, with Tsai Feng-an (
In the seventh inning, Taiwan pinch hitter Chen Yuan-chia (陳元甲) had a three-base hit.He nipped home for a run when South Korea's pitcher was wild.
South Korea caught up with Taiwan in the eighth inning, scoring two runs and the game went into extra innings.
Eventually Taiwan's Chen Chia-wei (陳家偉) and Tseng Hua-wei (曾華偉) added two more runs in the twelfth inning after South Korea made two fielding errors.
In other news, Panama became the last team to reach the second round of the Intercontinental Baseball Cup, beating Brazil 7-0, while Venezuela also qualified by beating the Dominican Republic 5-3.
Late on Wednesday, Cuba dominated China 21-1 and Mexico got a surprise 8-1 victory over Italy even though it ultimately failed to advance. China and Brazil were also eliminated.
The classifying round ended Wednesday night after two late games, Japan vs. the Netherlands and South Korea vs. Taipei. After a day of rest yesterday, the second round was to begin today.
Sherman Obando, a former player in the American big leagues, hit a single to score Panama's first run against Brazil. Teammate Luis Iglesias and Freddy Herrera helped score a rash of runs in the second inning while Rodriguez Gutierrez brought in the last run to plate in the seventh.
Alvaro Hernandez, who in eight innings allowed three hits, struck out nine batters and conceded two bases for balls, got the win for Panama. Brazil's pitcher was Rodrigo Maciel.
Three Venezuelan pitchers combined to beat the Dominicans. Both teams qualified for the next round, which runs Friday through Sunday. The finals are Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
Venezuelan relief pitcher Jose Blanco Flores won the game, refusing to allow a single run and only two hits during almost five full innings.
The Dominican pitcher allowed four runs in his five innings on the mound.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
RSS