The Chinatrust Whales continued their unprecedented success by easily defeating the Brother Elephants 5-2 at the Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium in Tienmu on Sunday to remain unbeaten this season.
The once-troubled club, marred by a series of point-shaving incidents which led to the dismissal of several key players last season, has quietly turned into a championship-contending team under the leadership of Lin Min-cheng and manger Hsieh Chang-hen.
Nee Fu-deh's timely resurgence as a legitimate No. 2 starter and Shen Yu-jeh becoming a formidable force out of the bullpen to back up ace Steve Watkins of the US are also reasons why the Whales have had their best-ever start.
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
And a quick start was exactly what the Whales had in mind on Sunday as they piled on five quick runs over the first three innings to overwhelm the Elephants.
After the Elephants drew first blood in the top of the first on Chen Guan-ren's RBI double to the opposite field, the Whales responded immediately in the bottom of the same inning, with red-hot slugger Kang Tseh-wei's run-scoring single equalizing the score.
Following Lin Chin-chang's solo home run off Elephants starter Yeh Yong-jeh that made it 2-1 in the bottom of the second, the Whales managed to blow the game wide open with three more runs in the third on four base hits off the Elephants pitching.
The 5-1 advantage was plenty for rookie starter Kao Jing-min, who surrendered a pair of runs on five hits over six strong innings to record his first career victory.
Suffering the loss for the Elephants was Yeh, who gave up all five of the Whales runs on eight hits in less than three innings of play to lose his first start of the season.
Bears 9, Lions 3
The La New Bears took advantage of a late-game collapse by the President Lions defense, scoring six runs (five unearned) over the final two innings to claim a 9-3 win over the defending champions in Kaohsiung on Sunday.
What had been a hard-fought 3-2 Bears lead through the seventh suddenly turned into a blowout with the Bears sending eight men to the plate against two different Lions hurlers for four runs in the eighth, before striking for two more in the ninth to seal the win.
Earning his first win of the seasonwas starter Mike Johnson of Canada who allowed a pair of runs on seven hits while fanning five and walking three over six frames.
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
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely