Lamigo Monkeys manager Hong I-chung and star relief pitcher Chen Yu-hsun praised the contributions of key players and the support of the team’s fans after they seized the CPBL first-half title with a 3-1 win over Brothers Baseball Club on Sunday.
Lamigo scored three late runs to beat Brothers Baseball Club and clinch the CPBL half-season title, sparking a jubilant celebration by the home fans at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium.
With two men on base, Liao Chien-fu ripped a shot to the outfield wall for a triple, driving two runs in the eighth inning.
Photo: CNA
Liao came home for Lamigo’s third run when first baseman Chen chun-hsiu slapped a single into the right field.
American starter Bruce Kern pitched a gem, limiting the Brothers to only two hits and one issued walk for one run through eight frames.
Kern picked up his eighth win of the season and improved his ERA to 3.68.
Lamigo called on closer Chen with a Brothers runner on third in the ninth inning and Chen yielded one run on a single, then induced a grounder and a fly-out to end the game, recording his league-best 18th save.
“I had to shoulder lots of pressure this year, and I really appreciated the fans who did not quit on me and continue to give me support,” Chen said in a video message posted yesterday.
“Through all the travails, I have not changed a bit, it is still the same Chen Yu-hsun you have always known,” Chen said, referring to criticism of his alleged unethical behavior after reports surfaced of him having affairs with numerous women while still undergoing divorce proceedings with his wife.
Team manager Hong singled out Liao and Kern for praise after the game.
“Liao came through for us, not just tonight, as he always produced the key hits during the title race... Kern had excellent control in this game. We had to rely on him this season. When Kern has good control, he can shut down the opposition for our team to get the win,” Hong said.
It had been a tight race with the Uni-President Lions earlier this month, but the Lamigo Monkeys put together a streak with four straight victories last week to clinch the first-half title.
The Lions had a five-game stand in Kaohsiung last week, but they slumped to two losses, while the other three games were postponed due to rain and rescheduled for this week.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but