The President Lions clinched the first-half title with a convincing 5-0 shutout win over the Sinon Bulls at the Taichung Municipal Baseball Stadium on Sunday, assuring themselves a spot in the postseason play that will include the second-half champs and the club with the third-best overall record.
Pan “Du Du” Wei-luen proved his worth as the highest-paid local player (NT$460,000 per month) in the league with seven innings of shutout ball on as many hits to lead his team to victory. The former number-one draft pick of the Lions (in 2003) has won 20 straight dating back to last season, making him the epitome consistency when it comes to rock-solid starts.
Yang Dong-yi’s RBI-single off Sinon starter Jose Espinal got the visiting cats on the board before Pan Wu-hsiung followed with a lining double to deep-center that scored two more runs to give their team a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the second.
After a quiet third, the Lions would added on a pair of runs in the fourth, courtesy of back-to-back errors by the Bulls defense this time, that made it 5-0.
And that was more than ample for Du Du as he cruised through the seventh before turning the game over to fellow reliever Ricky Stone who tossed two innings of scoreless relief to keep the shutout intact.
The Bulls’ best scoring chance in the game came during the bottom of the second when they loaded up the bases against Pan Wei-luen with two outs on three hits, but came away empty as the Lions ace calmly retired the Bulls’ Lin Tsong-nan to end the inning unharmed.
Suffering the tough loss in a four-hit outing was Espinal who allowed five runs (three earned) over six innings of work in his third defeat of the season as he fell to a 2-3 mark.
T-REX 3, BEARS 2
Lin “Wild Hog” Hong-yuan’s pinch-hit single to left scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth as the dmedia T-Rex overcame a 1-2 deficit to top the La New Bears 3-2 at the Taipei Municipal Baseball Stadium in Tienmu on Sunday to snap a three-game losing skid.
Wang Chuan-jia’s solo homer off Bears starter Hsu Yu-wei gave the T-Rex an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second before the Bears answered with Huang “Easy” Long-yi’s two-run blast off dmedia starter Chen Jien-fu in the top of the third to his team ahead 2-1.
The Bears lead would last all but an inning as the T-Rex battled back with the tying run from Hsieh “the Ugly” Jia-shien’s second homer in as many days to tie the game at 2-all, which lasted until the eighth before Lin’s game-winning swing.
Picking up his first win of the season was Lee Ming-jin who pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth before fellow closer Nathan Bland sealed it with a hitless ninth.
The usually potent Bears offense was held to two meager runs on five hits in a game that was a defensive struggle for both squads.
US President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, is poised to make her LPGA Tour debut after receiving a sponsor invitation on Tuesday to the Nov. 13 to 16 tournament at Pelican Golf Club in Florida. “My dream has been to compete with the best in the world on the LPGA Tour,” Kai Trump said in a statement posted on the LPGA’s Web site. “This event will be an incredible experience,” she said. “I look forward [to] meeting and competing against so many of my heroes and mentors in golf as I make my LPGA Tour debut.” The 18-year-old high-school senior,
REACTION: Less than 24 hours after a 18-inning Game 3 loss, the Blue Jays’ win ensured that the best-of-seven series is to head back to Toronto for Game 6 tomorrow Vladimir Guerrero Jr on Tuesday blasted a two-run home run as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 and tie the MLB World Series at two games apiece. Less than 24 hours after a shattering 18-inning Game 3 loss, the Blue Jays climbed off the canvas to breathe new life into their hopes of a first MLB title in 32 years. Guerrero’s two-run blast off Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani and a superb pitching performance from ace Shane Bieber laid the foundations for a gutsy victory that silenced Dodger Stadium. “I’m always trying to compete
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the