Wang Cheng-hao's (王宸浩) exceptional discipline at the plate earned him the ball-four call against the President Lions' ace closer Michael Garcia with the bases loaded to squeeze home the game-winner in Saturday night's 1-0 Chinatrust Whales victory.
The win not only marked the Whales' seventh in eight contests, it ended Garcia's undefeated record for the year.
Things went from bad to worse for Garcia in Sunday's game as the veteran ace failed to convert on a save opportunity for the first time this year, ending his record-setting run for consecutive saves at 23.
Garcia was called into the game in the bottom of the eighth to protect a 5-3 lead when three straight Whale hits, again capped by Wang Cheng-hao's run-scoring double, rang up two runs to force a 5-5 tie in Garcia's first blown save of the year.
"Hats off to the Whale hitters in the series; they have made all the adjustments necessary to come up with the big hits," Garcia said. "It can happen to the best of us. Better now than during the crucial playoff time."
The Whales finished out the series 1-1-1k, thanks for a valiant effort by Wang, whose late-game heroics might have salvaged the season for a team that could have easily fallen to the bottom of the standings in a clean sweep by the Lions.
BEARS VERSUS ELEPHANTS
Elsewhere in the league, the red-hot La New Bears completed their first-ever series sweep of the Brother Elephants by beating the defending champs in a 6-2 decision in Sunday's series finale.
The Bears set a new club record in win-streaks with its fifth straight as first-year slugger Lin Chih-sheng (
The rookie is only one game shy of the league record for a rookie hitter set by Cheng Hsin-sheng (
Emerging rookie lefty Wu Si-yo (吳偲佑) made a strong case on his behalf for the Pitcher of the Month honor by collecting his fourth victory in a row in seven shutout innings.
The 22-year-old scattered four harmless hits while fanning seven before leaving the game with a 5-0 lead.
Falling victim to the long and arduous season, Hurst failed to pocket his 15th win of the season for the second time in the tough loss.
Even though the 37-year-old righty from the US still leads the league in total victories with 14, three better than the next pitcher in line, some have begun to wonder if the 16-game winner in two of his three previous seasons with the Elephants can maintain the same level of intensity that has made him the ace of the staff thus far.
COBRAS VERSUS BULLS
The four-game series between the Macoto Cobras and the Sinon Bulls ended in a Bulls' blowout on Saturday where five quick runs by a potent Bulls' attack in the first set the tone for the eventual 12-4 skinning of the serpents.
The win avoided a sweep by the Cobras which had beaten the Bulls with back-to-back wins earlier last week after the two squads began the series with a 3-all tie.
Bulls cleanup man Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan (
Starter Yang Jien-fu (
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