Jonathan Hurst to pitch for Team Red in All-Star Game

Unlike the previous three Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Star games, where foreign players were excluded from participation, Taiwan's All-Star Game this year is open to all CPBL players regardless of their nationality, in recognition of the contribution that talented foreign players have made to the league.

Results from a month-long fan ballot will put Jonathan Hurst of the Brother Elephants on the mound for Team Red against Team White's second-year ace Yang Jien-fu (陽建福) of the Sinon Bulls.

Hurst will be joined by fellow Elephants Peng "Chia Chia" Cheng-ming (彭政閔) and Chen "the Golden Warrior" Chih-yuan (陳致遠) in the outfield, Fong Sheng-shien (馮勝賢) at second base, Tsai Fong-an (蔡豐安) at first base, and catcher Chen Rei-chang (陳瑞昌) behind the home plate, along with shortstop Cheng Chang-ming (鄭昌明) of the Chinatrust Whales, third baseman Shih Chih-wei (石志偉), outfielder Huang Long-yi (黃龍義), and designated hitter Tsai Hung-tseh (蔡泓澤) of the La New Bears.

The Bulls will send their entire infield, with the exception of first base.

Chang "the Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan (張泰山) will guard the third base line, while an acrobatic Cheng Jau-han (鄭兆行) and team captain Huang Chung-yi (黃忠義) occupy shortstop and second base respectively.

Yeh Jung-chang (葉君璋) will round out the infield at the catcher's spot for the Bulls. Starting at first base for Team White will be Macoto Cobra icon Hsieh Jia-shien (謝佳賢) who will start for the second straight season since the merger of the two leagues two years ago.

President Lions outfielder Huang Kang-ling (黃甘霖) and Chang Jia-hao (張家浩) of the Bulls will patrol the outfield for Team White, along with Tseng Hua-wei (曾華偉), while 15-year Lions veteran Luo Ming-ching (羅敏卿) is starting designated hitter.

Skippers from the teams in last season's Taiwan Series, Lin Yi-tseng (林易增) of the Elephants and Chen Wei-cheng (陳威成) of the Bulls will lead the Red and White clubs from the dugout.

Wrap Up

The Cobras wrapped up their three-game series against the Whales with a 3-0 shutout Thursday. Starter Kleber Ojima allowed six hits in as many innings, before lefty specialist Lin Ying-jeh (林英傑) finished the final three frames by allowing only one hit.

Offensively for the serpents, designated hitter Chiou Chang-rong's (丘昌榮) two-run homer off Whales starter Hsieh Cheng-hsun (謝承勳), gave his team its fourth straight victory.

The Elephants' rally came up one run short in Hsinchuang on Thursday as the Bulls held off the defending champs 7-6.

After Jonathan Hurst yielded six runs (four earned) in the first inning, the Elephants found themselves playing catch up the rest of the way.

Bulls' catcher Yeh Jung-chang highlighted the six-run first with a bases-clearing inside-the-park home run.