More than 10,000 spectators are expected to pack the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung this afternoon to witness the 2010 Taiwan Series showdown between the Brother Elephants and the Sinon Bulls.
This year’s annual Fall Classic, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:07pm, will feature a pair of foreign starters — the Elephants’ Jim Magrane of the US, and the Bulls’ Japanese lefty ace Shoda Itsuki, both of whom have played an important role in guiding their teams into the post-season.
The Bulls won five of their last seven to close out the regular season on a high note, while the Elephants dropped their final three contests of the regular season, including a 5-1 loss in their last meeting with the Bulls on Oct. 4, with Magrane charged with the loss.
However, the Elephants’ rookie skipper Chen Rei-chen told the Taipei Times in a recent interview that he was not concerned by the slump.
“He’ll [Magrane] be fine for the opener; he is throwing the ball very well and he knows that the defense will be there for him,” Chen said.
Chen and his troops will need to keep the series a low-scoring affair as his offense is unlikely to be able to keep up with the potent Sinon bats, led by Chang “OEO” Tai-shan and Lin Yi-chuan, whose .310-plus batting averages with 133 combined RBIs will pose a serious threat to the Elephants pitching staff.
Offensively for the Elephants, lefty bats Chou Si-chi and Chen Guan-ren will need to have a good series against Sinon lefties Lin Ying-jeh (projected Game 3 starter) and Shen Yu-jeh, manager Hsu Sheng-ming’s top setup man.
“The pressure to win is definitely on us as we are slight favorites,” Hsu, who also made it to the Taiwan Series in his rookie managerial season with the former Wei Chuan Dragons, said in a press conference in Taipei on Thursday.
He and Chen Rei-chen are both graduates of Pingtung’s Meiho Senior High School, a perennial baseball powerhouse.
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