Yuya Kamada continued his mastery over opposing hitters with seven frames of shutout ball, while Pan “TAKE” Wu-hsiung drove in a pair of runs on 2-for-5 hitting to help the Uni-President Lions humble the Brother Elephants 8-0 at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium last night to take the weekend series in northern Taiwan.
The win not only extended the Cats’ current win streak to nine, but more importantly clinched the first-half title for the defending champs, as they needed only 50 games to secure a spot in the postseason with an amazing 37-13 mark in the first half.
Orange ribbons blanketed both sides of the infield seats as the Lions fans celebrated their franchise’s record-high 12th half-season title, thanks to another dominating outing by Kamada, as he improved to a league-best 11-0 for the season.
Back-to-back doubles by Pan and Chang “OEO” Tai-shan off Elephants starter Lin Yu-ching knocked in a pair of runs for the Lions in the opening inning to give the visiting Cats a quick 2-0 advantage, a lead they held until through the fourth before doubling it in the fifth with Pan’s second RBI double of the game and Deng Chih-wei’s bases-loaded walk off Lin.
That was more than the Elephants could handle as they were cuffed by Kamada and his relievers all game long in a losing cause.
Bulls 10, Monkeys 0
The Sinon Bulls took advantage of a five-run third to take a 6-0 lead and went to blank the Lamigo Monkeys at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Greater Taichung last night to nip a six-game slide.
Lin Yi-chuan was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle to lead a Sinon attack that mowed through the Monkeys’ pitching as they collected an even dozen off the Primates en route to the blowout victory.
Lin Yi-chuan had two chances to get the elusive triple in the sixth and eighth innings, but failed to connect on either occasion, as the Monkeys’ pitchers was fully aware of the situation.
“The triple is always the hardest to get when you are trying to hit for the cycle, as you can see tonight,” he said after the game.
Spotted with an early lead, Sinon starter Lin Chen-hua backed up his top-pick status with 7-1/3 innings of shutout ball on five hits before turning the game over to reliever Wu Cheng-hsien, who ably kept the shutout intact by retiring five of the final six hitters he faced.
US righty Ken Ray did not have his usual stuff for the Monkeys as he lasted only two-plus innings, allowing six runs on five hits in his shortest start of the season. He is now 4-6 with an ERA of 4.44.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS