Chen Yong-chi’s clutch double drove in a pair of runs that sparked a three-run fifth as the Uni-President Lions went on to defeat the Sinon Bulls 6-1 at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium last night to sweep the three-game set over the weekend.
The win not only gave the Big Cats their first three-game win streak in nearly seven weeks, but also brought them to within a game of the Lamigo Monkeys in the overall season record as they hone in on the homestretch of the arduous 120-game regular season before the playoffs begin next month.
Starter Chen Yi-cheng took a shutout two outs into the sixth before being relieved after he loaded up the bases with two walks and a single. In came Lin San-fong, who bailed Chen out of the jam unharmed with an easy play to first.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The Lions carried the shutout bid one out into the ninth before Fang Keh-bai tripled off reliever Chang Chih-chiang and scored on a sacrifice fly on the ensuing play to break up the shutout.
Pocketing the win was Chen, who improved to an even 3-3 mark for the year, with 5-2/3 innings of shutout ball on three hits and four walks to beat his counterpart, Lin Keh-chien, who allowed three runs on four hits over six innings in a quality start.
ELEPHANTS 9, MONKEYS 2
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The Brother Elephants took the three-game series over the weekend by a 2-1 margin with a road victory over the top-ranked Lamigo Monkeys at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium last night.
Peng “Chia Chia” Cheng-min’s solo blast off Monkeys starter Wang Fong-hsin highlighted a two-run third, before Chang Cheng-hao’s bases-clearing, three-run double in the fourth blew the game wide open at 5-0.
The Primates finally broke through in the fifth on Tsai Cheng-wei’s RBI groundout only to see the Elephants answer with two more runs in the sixth to widen their lead by one.
The Monkeys had their best chance at closing the gap in the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs against Orlando Roman that brought home crowd to their feet. However, the US reliever pitched out of trouble by retiring the next three batters in order without giving up any runs in a gutsy outing to preserve the lead.
Starter Tyler Lumsden was credited with his ninth win of the year with six solid innings of work, while the Monkeys’ Wang, who lasted only 3-2/3 innings, took the loss.
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
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and