The regular season earlier this week came to a crashing end, with the EDA Rhinos downing the Uni-President Lions 5-2 at the Cheng Ching Lake Baseball Stadium in Kaohsiung.
Nearly 3,000 fans packed the stadium in hope of witnessing history, as the Rhinos’ Kao Kuo-hui looked to conquer the 40-homer plateau on the final day of the regular season after having gone homerless for two straight games.
Even though the slugger out of the former Taipei College of Physical Education did not get the home run that many were hoping to see, going one-for-four from his designated hitter’s role on a night that was filled with anticipation, his 39-homer season is still considered to be one of the greatest-ever in league history.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“It has been a great run for me to be able to enjoy myself out on the field. It would have been even better if [the 40th homer] had happened, but I am not going to let that bother me,” Kao said after the game.
Kao’s 39 homers surpassed a previous record of 33 that was set in 2007 by then-Uni-President Lions player Tilson Brito, an accomplishment that is likely to go untouched for a long time.
While Kao grabbed most of the media attention, the Lamigo Monkeys also got their share of late-season thrills, with Lin Chih-sheng on Sunday collecting his 30th stolen base on the final game of the regular season to become the first double-30 man — 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases — in league history.
Enjoying one of the finest seasons by a hitter with a .380 batting average, 31 homers and 124 RBIs, the Lamigo slugger has also set a new standard for being the most complete offensive threat in the game by showing off his speed around the base paths.
“It is a distinction that I am very proud of, given the number of excellent players in the league,” Lin said after getting his 30th stolen base.
His double-30 mark is also likely to go unchallenged for some time, as the top hitters have shone away from blazing around the base paths in an effort to reduce the chance of injury.
By virtue of their accomplishments, Kao and Lin have essentially rewritten the standards for a hitter in the game.
With both players in their prime, there is no limit to what they can achieve over the coming two or three seasons.
Their achievements have also made this season one of the most memorable in recent years.
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