The Elephants, also defending champions, defeated the Chinatrust Whales 9-5 to achieve the first ever clean sweep in the CPBL's 13-year history.
The game did not start well for the Elephants in Chiayi Stadium before more than 7,000 fans.
PHOTO COURTESY CPBL
The Whales started well in the first inning by producing three hits against Elephants' starter Wang Chin-lee (
Whales' starter Kao Chien-san (
Trailing 3-0, the Elephants were able to win back some ground in the fourth inning by scoring two runs off five hits. Tsai Feng-an (
At the top of the fifth, Chen Chih-yuen of the Elephants belted a solo shot, his first homerun in this year's playoff series, to the right side of the bleachers to tie the game at three apiece.
Whales' starter Kao was forced to step off the mound and was replaced by Game 2 starter Sung Chao-chee (
After tying the game, the Elephants then moved into the lead for the first time in the sixth inning on a throwing error by Whales' catcher Sugiyama, who was attempting to pick off the runner at third base.
A wild throw by Sugiyama to the third baseman enabled Chen Hwai-shan (
In the sixth inning, the Whales scored on a fielding error by Elephants' second baseman Feng Sheng-shien (馮勝賢) to pull themselves within two runs.
But the fearful offense kept pounding Whales' pitching staff as the Elephants sent another two men home to make it a 6-4 game.
The Elephants then scored another three runs in the last inning of the game, which knocked the Whales' fourth pitcher of the night, Kuo-lee Chien-fu (
The Whales attempted to rally in the bottom of the ninth, but were not able to come back from a 9-5 deficit and ended up losing the game, as well as the championship.
Fans poured onto the field, opened the champagne and enjoyed the moment with Elephants players. The players also ran a victory lap around the field to show their appreciation to the fans.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS