Four straight wins following a shaky season opener against the Sinon Bulls have propelled the President Lions (4-1) to the top of the Chinese Professional Baseball League standings.
Unlike last year, where the Lions won with the stingiest staff in the league (2.77 team ERA), this year's group is putting up over six runs a game to make up for the lack of offense that had been the longstanding problem for skipper Hsieh Chang-hern.
Leading the way with his big bat for the Lions is Dominican slugger Israel Alcantara, whose 10 RBIs in only the first five contests have made him the single most-feared hitter among opposing pitchers.
PHOTO: CPBL
Ace closer, Michael Garcia, may not have been his-former-self (allowing only five earned runs in 53 game appearances for an incredible ERA of 0.71 last season) thus far with an ERA of 3.38.
But the veteran righty out of southern California has been able to hold off the opposition in key situations to deliver a win and two saves for the Lions.
Thursday's 8-7 home-opening win against the Macoto Cobras in Tainan was a typical win for the Lions this year, as they held a 5-1 lead after five innings of play, with a potent offense led by Alcantara's 4-for-5 night with four RBIs, before starter Narimoto Toshinide and set-up man Chen Yang-kai combined to yield five runs in a disastrous sixth inning that handed the 6-5 lead back to the Cobras.
PHOTO: CPBL
The home Lions would retake an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the eighth on a run-scoring double by Alcantara -- holding off the serpents in the scoreless ninth with Garcia on the mound for the win.
"I guess the hitters have finally figured me out after they've seen me pitch for a year.
Even though it may not be good for me as far as my stats go, it's definitely good for the game," Garcia said.
Elephants versus Bulls
The Brother Elephants and the Bulls' split the first two games of their four-game series earlier this week, with the Elephants drawing first blood in Tuesday's 12-5 blowout victory, before the defending champs returned the favor the following day in a 4-1 decision.
Starter Wu Jung-yi barely lived up to his "Bulls Slayer" nickname in Tuesday's game after allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5-2/3 innings of work, thanks an offense that had spotted him 11 runs in the first four innings.
Former Rookie-of-the-Year winner Tsai Chung-nan's first start for the Bulls since returning from an injury-plagued season last year was a forgetful one, as he surrendered four runs after only two outs into the first inning before being pulled in the shortest outing of his career.
In Wednesday's game, American starter Jeff Andra (2-0) took control early, en route to his second win of the season for the Bulls.
The third-year southpaw out of the San Francisco Giants farm system gave up one run on seven hits in as many innings, while striking out four.
Failure to come up with timely hits cost the Elephants the game as they stranded nine base runners (four in scoring position) in a game that they could have easily won after outhitting the Bulls 7-to-4.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS