Rookie President Lions pitcher Pan Wei-luen (潘威倫) lived up to high expectations by taking the August Pitcher of the Month honor in near-unanimous fashion.
Fifteen of 16 voters from the Chinese Baseball Writers Association gave Pan the nod for his outstanding performance on the mound last month.
The 21-year-old right-hander from Pingtung was 4-0 in five starts for the Lions with an unearthly ERA of 0.5. In the 35-2/3 innings that Pan pitched, he allowed only two runs on 20 hits, while fanning 24.
Opposing batted a meagerly .153 against Pan throughout the entire month. In those five impressive starts, Pan averaged over seven innings per outing, giving the bullpen a much needed rest.
"Pan's stamina allows the Lions coaching staff to be flexible in their relief-pitching strategies," Elephants manager Lin Yi-tseng (林易增) said last week.
Pan enjoyed success at the beginning of the season, winning five straight games at one point.
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Pan Wei-luen, rookie starting pitcher for the President Lions, returned to his winning form last month, earning him Pitcher of the Month honors.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
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Then fell apart for him as he watched his ERA climb from under 2 before June to above 3 between June and July.
His recent success in complementing John Frascatore and Jose Parra on the starting rotation will play a key part in the team's quest for a title in final part of the season.
The August Offensive Player of the Month honors was also claimed by a Lions player in the course of their 14-2-1 run. Chen Lien-hung (陳連宏) easily won the title as he led the league in hitting, with a .561 average for the month.
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"Pan's stamina allows the Lions coaching staff to be flexible in their relief-pitching strategies."
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Lin Yi-tseng, manager of the Brother Elephants
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His .351 batting average, 20 hits, and 12 RBI's also places him among the league leaders in each category.
It was the first time in Chen's seven-year career that he won the award.
The all-star slugger from Tainan County was such an offensive threat that he ended up drawing 10 walks in 67 at-plate appearances.
On Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, Chen delivered back-to-back game-winning home runs against the Sinon Bulls.
Amid current 12-game hitting streak, Chen has helped jumpstart an otherwise sluggish Lions offense. Teammates who had batted one spot ahead of Chen in the order all enjoyed a great month offensively, because Chen provided them with protection against being intentionally walked by opposing pitchers.
