The Brothers Baseball Club leveled the Taiwan Series at 1-1 after they exploded for 10 runs in the opening frame on their way to a 13-6 victory over the Lamigo Monkeys in Game 2 last night.
The Monkeys scored in their last-at bat to take Game 1 on Saturday.
It was billed as a match-up between Brothers rookie pitcher Liao Yi-chung and Lamigo starter Michael Nix from the US, but the visiting Brothers delivered a knock-out punch against Nix in the first inning.
Photo: CNA
Facing shaky pitching, the Brothers batters pounded Nix for six hits and took two walks, with the most damage delivered by outfielder Chang Chih-hao, who blasted a grand slam.
Nix had only one out at that point, while he had conceded six runs.
Two batters and another run later, Nix was pulled for Weng Wei-chun, but the Brothers continued the assault, taking three runs off Weng to tie the record for the most runs in an inning in the Taiwan Series.
Photo: CNA
Brothers captain Peng “Chia Chia” Cheng-min came home on the grand slam, setting a record of 40 runs in Taiwan Series games, surpassing the 39 scored by Chang Tai-shan, a retired slugger who had a 20-year career with three teams.
Lamigo replied with one run in the bottom of the first, but the Brothers hitters drove in three more runs on four hits, including two triples, to make it 13-1 at the bottom of the second.
The Monkeys rallied in the sixth. With two men on, Lamigo first baseman Chen Chun-hsiu drilled a shot over the wall to make it 13-4.
Photo: CNA
They scored one more in the next inning and added another in the ninth to make the score somewhat respectable.
Liao picked up the win, yielding seven hits and one walk for five charged runs. He struck out five batters in his first Taiwan Series win.
In contrast, Game 1, also at the Taoyuan International Stadium, was a tight affair.
Saturday’s game was a see-saw battle throughout, with the Brothers drawing first blood with two runs in the second frame. Lamigo replied with three runs.
In the third inning, Lamigo outfielder Chu Yu-hsien slapped a single up the middle to bring home two runners for the home side to go in front 5-2. The Brothers clawed back one run in the sixth.
At the top of the ninth, Peng came in as a pinch hitter and delivered with a shot to the fence that drove in two runners to tie it up.
However, Lamigo pinch hitter Liao Chien-fu had the clutch hit with two outs, striking a grounder to bring home the go-ahead run for a walk-off 6-5 win.
Games 3, 4 and 5 are scheduled for the Brothers home park, the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium, tomorrow through Thursday.
If needed, games 6 and 7 are to be played in Taoyuan on Saturday and Sunday.
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