Chen "the Golden Warrior" Chih-yuan's (陳致遠) game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth capped off an exciting three-game sweep of the Macoto Cobras for the Brother Elephants in Hualien last weekend. The defending champs sent off their retiring first baseman Wang Guang-hui (王光輝), whose No. 26 uniform will be retired, with three straight wins that put them at the top the league standings in a tie with the Sinon Bulls.
Thursday night's series opener had the Elephants leading 1-0 until their five-run sixth that blew the game wide open. The Elephants would make it 7-0 after seven, before the Cobras rallied for six runs of their own in the eighth highlighted by designated hitter Chiou Chang-rong's (丘昌榮) two-run bomb off Elephant closer Jonathan Hurst, to trail only by a run. The serpents would even things up at 7-all in the top of the ninth on catcher Francisco Morales's sacrifice fly that scored Hsieh Jia-shien (謝佳賢) who tripled on the previous play.
Down but not out, the Elephants would regain their poise in the bottom of the ninth and win it on first baseman Tsai Fong-an's (
Nakagomi Sin allowed five hits while fanning nine in seven scoreless innings before Hurst finished off the Cobras in the last two frames to preserve the 4-0 shutout for the Elephants in Game 2 on Saturday.
Retiring Elephant slugger Wang Guang-hui ended his playing career on a high note by driving in the game's first run on a blooper single just inside the right-foul line. Wang waived his cap to the fans in tears, thanking them for 15 years of loyal support. Also in attendance was Hualien county magistrate Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山), who presented Wang with a pair of cheering rods signed by Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in honor of his outstanding career achievements.
Sunday's series finale was a near replay of the opener as Hurst failed to preserve a 3-2 lead in his new closer's role by allowing the Cobras to tie the game up on center fielder Huang Kao-jung's (黃高俊) two-out, opposite-field single in the top of the ninth. Thanks to Chen Chih-yuan's late-game heroics, the blown save by Hurst once again turned into another victory, the tenth for the American veteran this season.
Also finishing strong for the week were the Chinatrust Whales in their four-game stint against the La New Bears in Kaohsiung. Following a one-all split in the first two contests, the Whales blanked the home Bears in Game 3 by a 2-0 final on a spectacular effort by starter Danny Harriger. The former Major Leaguer allowed only one hit in eight solid innings before turning the game to closer Dario Veras, who retired the side in order for his seventh save of the season.
Cleanup man Chen Chien-wei's (
Back-to-back liners by Luo Song-yung (
Lion closer Michael Garcia converted his 16th save in a row, lowering his ERA to .39.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and