The battle between Chen Chih-yuan, with 24 stolen bases, and the Chinatrust Whales' leadoff man Chi Jung-lin (
In only his third season as a professional, Chi has established himself as the premier base-stealing threat with 29 stolen bases to lead the league.
His excellent on-base percentage (.398) is a good reason that the 23-year-old native of Taichung keeps opposing pitchers awake at night.
In addition to his solid on-base percentage, Chi's hard work in studying different pitchers' characteristics has paid off because it allows him to get a great jump that is essential to a successful steal.
"He [Chi] can hurt you in so many ways," Jonathan Hurst of the Elephants said earlier. "Besides stealing bases, he can disrupt a pitcher's rhythm when he gets on base or he can open up the gap between first and second for hitters because the first baseman has to hold him on first."
Not too far behind Chi in the stolen base category is Elephants center fielder Chen Chih-yuan, whose 24 stolen bags put him second in the league.
Already an offensive threat with his bat (.345 batting average with 12 homers and 60 RBIs), Chen's ability to steal bases makes it literally impossible for opposing pitchers to dodge him by intentionally walking him.
Round Up
The Whales continued their winning ways as they easily handled the Makoto Gida in the first two games of the four-game series earlier this week.
In Game 1 in Kaohsiung, the Gida led by a score of 1-0 in the bottom of the second on left fielder Chiou Chang-rong's (丘昌榮) RBI single. The tide turned in the fifth after an error by Gida shortstop Jose Caballero, which led to four straight Whales runs against Gida starter Chen Cheng-ching (陳誠慶).
Whales starter Hsieh Cheng-hsun (
Game 2 of the series featured Whales ace starter Nakayama Hiraoki in his bid for win No.11 of the season. The Whales jumped out to a good start as they scored twice against Gida starter Fong Roe-hui (
The Whales would make it 3-0 in the sixth before the Gida fought back and scored a run against Nakayama.
The Gida missed a golden scoring opportunity against Nakayama in the seventh as the veteran from Japan escaped a one-out with bases-loaded jam by striking out two in a row, stranding the runners.
The 4-1 final score in favor of the Whales gave Nakayama his 11th victory of the season and extended the Whales' winning streak to six games.
Upcoming Games
The Whales and Gida will finish out their four-game series in Hsinchuang and Tienmu today and Saturday, respectively.
The second-placed Bulls visit Tainan in a three-game series against the third-place Lions, which began yesterday and continues today and Sunday. The Lions could take sole position of the second-place spot with a sweep against the Bulls. All eyes will be on the Bulls starter Jeff Andra, as the southpaw from Kansas looks to become the first 13-game winner in the league.
The Elephants take on the First Securities Agan in Hualien on Saturday and Sunday.
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