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Chang Tai-shan starts season off with a large bang

Chang Tai-shan started off his 2005 campaign with a big bang when he deposited a towering shot into the left-center bleachers in the Sinon Bulls' 9-1 win over the President Lions in Hsinchuang on Sunday.

The defending home-run champ is trying to win his third straight home-run crown in as many years with help from fellow teammate Huang "Brother Tung" Chung-yi, who will be batting behind Chang to protect him from too many intentional walks.

In the first complete game of the season (Saturday's season opener between the two clubs was suspended after the third inning because of heavy rain and will resume play on May 14 in Taichung), the Bulls' offense went after starter Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen of the Lions in a big way when it tagged Pan for nine runs, tripling his previous single-game high of three runs allowed from last season.

In addition to Chang Tai-shan's 3-for-4 night with 3 RBIs, leadoff man Chang Jien-ming and right fielder Chang Jia-hao, the Bulls' newest one-two punch in a lineup that is filled with speed and power, also pitched in a pair of hits apiece in an offensive outburst.

Taking the mound for the Bulls was right-hander Osvaldo Martinez of the Dominican Republic, who allowed a lone run on three hits over six solid frames for his first win of the season.

The veteran hurler took a no-hitter one out into the fifth before the Lions' Yang Fu-hao bounced a soft grounder to deep-short that was good enough for an infield hit.

Yang would score from second in the same inning when fellow second baseman Yang Seng brought him home with a line-drive up the middle that ended Martinez's hopes for a shutout.

Other than a lone run in the fifth, the Lions were never able to solve any of the three pitchers they faced. Martinez's sliders looked too good to pass up, lefty reliever Ho Ji-shien's fastballs consistently painted the corners, and closer Hector Ramirez's change of speed was too much for them to handle.
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