“This one will be for skipper Hsu,” EDA Rhinos captain Hu Chin-lung said at the pre-Taiwan Series press conference in Taipei yesterday afternoon as the team aim to claim a title that would be dedicated to former EDA Rhinos head coach Hsu Sheng-ming, whose legendary career and life came to an abrupt end in August when he suffered a heart attack.
With bragging rights up for grabs and a chance to send Hsu off on a high note, the Rhinos open this year’s Taiwan Series against the Uni-President Lions at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium this afternoon in a showdown between the first-half and second-half champions.
This year’s annual Fall Classic, the first ever for the Rhinos whose predecessors, the Sinon Bulls made it to the Taiwan Series on six previous occasions to amass a 2-4 record, and the 13th for the Lions, who have come away with eight titles in their previous 12 attempts, will feature two potent lineups that have humbled the opposing pitching over the course of the regular season.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Leading the Rhinos offense are home-run threats Lin Yi-chuan and Kao Gui-hui, whose 32 combined homers and 144 RBIs are second to none in an age where hitters have quietly surpassed the pitchers to win the hearts of most fans.
Even though the Lions may not have the top two punchers in the league offensively, slugger Chang “OEO” Tai-shan and his league-best 90 RBIs in the regular season still poses a serious enough threat against the opposing pitchers, not to mention the long-ball help that he will get from fellow sluggers Deng Chih-wei and Kao “Green Tank” Guo-ching, with 16 combined blasts, providing ample firepower for Lions head coach Chen Lien-hung.
“We are ready to give it our best shot with the amount of preparation we’ve put in,” Chen said.
“At this stage of the season, having a stronger mental game is more important than being technically sound,” Chen added, referring to his team’s superior post-season experience compared with that of the Rhinos.
While the scales may tip in favor of the Rhinos offensively, the Lions enjoy a decisive advantage on the mound with veteran righty Nelson Figueroa heading a starting rotation that is solid and deep.
The last time Figueroa pitched in the Taiwan Series for the Lions he was credited with three of the Lions’ four wins in their dramatic series against the La New Bears in 2007.
As for the Rhinos, head coach Tseng Chih-chan will need to rely heavily on Game 1 starter Matt Torra and probable Game 2 starter Nick Green to give him at least six good innings in order to keep the workload of the Rhinos bullpen at a manageable level.
“We are gonna need a lot of offense to pull it off because we know [the Lions] can definitely score a lot of runs on anyone,” Tseng said.
The Lions will be looking to win the all-important Game 1, because they have gone on to win all five of the Taiwan Series in which they started with a win.
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
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
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