Scoring early and often, the Sinon Bulls trounced the Brother Elephants 12-4 at the Taichung Municipal Baseball Stadium on Friday night, improving their league-best mark to 8-4-1.
After Lin Ying-jeh allowed a pair of first-inning runs to the visiting Elephants, the home Bulls answered right away with Hsieh “the Ugly” Jia-shien’s three-run blast off Brother starter Kobayashi Ryokan, capping a four-run spurt in the bottom of the same inning to lead it 4-2.
Chang Jien-ming’s sacrifice-fly with a runner on third quickly made it 5-2 in favor of the Bulls in the second before back-to-back homers by Cheng Jau-han and Lin Yi-chuen in the third and a two-run shot by Chang “Prince of the Forest” Tai-shan in the fourth put their team ahead 10-2 through the fourth.
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
The Elephants would score twice more in the fifth, but that was as close as they got as the Bulls added the finishing touch with two more runs in the seventh to take the game long before the final out was recorded.
Lin Ying-jeh picked up the win despite allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings. It was the first CPBL win for the former Macoto Cobras ace in nearly four years after he spent three seasons in Japan with the Rakuten Eagles prior to signing with the Bulls this year.
As for the Elephants, Kobayashi was tagged with the loss for serving up 10 runs on nine hits in three-and-a-third innings for his second defeat of the year.
LIONS 7, BEARS 4
The La New Bears proved no match for the Uni-President Lions on Friday as they lost 7-4 to the Cats in Tainan to end a three-game winning streak.
Even though Bears slugger Lin Chih-sheng was able to extend his home run streak to four games with a solo shot in the top of the first, that was the lone highlight for the visitors as the Lions clearly outplayed them.
Starter Hsu Wen-hsiung also continued his struggle against the Lions as he surrendered seven runs on eight hits in five-and-two-third frames to lose his seventh straight against the defending champs. He is now 3-13 in 40 career games (14 starts) against the Lions.
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