Hsieh Jia-shien hit a two-run home run off Ho Jee-shien (Sinon Bulls) of Team White to help Team Red win its second straight All-Star Game by a 5-2 final in the 2005 Chinese Professional Baseball League mid-summer classic in Kaohsiung on Saturday night.
It was the second two-run blast for the Macoto Cobras slugger in as many games this week, both of which carried a special meaning: the first secured a 4-0 victory for the serpents to win the first-half regular season title in a one-game playoff situation, and the second delivered Hsieh his first-ever All-Star Game MVP honor.
"It just felt right for me today." Hsieh said after the game. "I have been seeing the ball well lately and hope it would continue."
PHOTO: CHENG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsieh leads the league in total homers (17) and total RBIs (49).
His two-run shot in the eighth inning added some insurance to Team Red's one-run lead, that closer Wu Bao-shien of the Elephants sure-handedly preserved with two shutout innings in the eighth and ninth for his first save in an All-Star contest.
The game began with Team Red striking first in the bottom of the first inning when a wild pitch by Team White starter Osvaldo Martinez (Bulls) scored leadoff man Chi Jung-lin (Chinatrust Whales), who hit a single to start off the game and then advanced to third, to put Team Red up 1-0.
Team White answered in the top of the second on Bulls home-run threat Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan's solo shot off Kao Jien-san (Whales) to deep-left to even up the game at 1-1.
The scales then tipped Team Red's way again in the third when back-to-back scoring drives by the Cobras' Mario Encarnacion and Peng "Chia Chia" Cheng-ming of the Elephants brought in two more runs to give the reds a 3-1 cushion.
In the top of the sixth, Chang Tai-shan's run-scoring single off reliever Wang Guo-jing (Whales) pulled the whites within a run of Team Red at 3-2.
Picking up the victory for Team Red was Kao Jien-san, whose two innings of sound relief, despite yielding the solo blast to Chang Tai-shan, got the job done nevertheless.
As for Team White, second-year lefty Hsu Yu-wei (La New Bears) was tagged with the loss for surrendering three hits and a walk in a two-run third in his first All-Star appearance.
Offensively for Team White, Sinon utility man Chang Jia-hao's 3-for-3 night tied the record for most hits in a CPBL All-Star Game.
Home Run Derby
Chen Guan-ren of the Elephants' minor league squad proved his status for being the next premier long-ball hitter legit by beating out the Bears' Victor Rodriguez in the final round of the Home Run Derby to take home the coveted trophy along with NT$20,000 in prize money.
The budding young star out of the Elephants' farm system won the right to take part in this year's home-run-hitting contest by beating a field of eight in Friday's All-Star Futures' Homer Run Derby.
He and Rodriguez both crushed six pitches over the wall before their 10 attempts were up, but it was his three consecutive shots over the wall, compared to Rodriguez's two, that was the difference in the contest.
Base-running Contest
Bulls outfielder Tseng Hua-wei's blazing speed around the base paths gave Team White a slight edge on the final leg of the 12-man base-running relay contest to win the bragging rights around the bases. It saved his team from an otherwise clean sweep by Team Red in all three events for the day.
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