Chen Chin-fong's two-run homer off Macoto reliever Chuang Jin-ho in the bottom of the fifth gave the La New Bears a 4-3 lead, which they maintained to win the series finale between the two clubs in Kaohsiung on Sunday night.
The former Los Angeles Dodger, who made baseball history by being the first Taiwanese native to set foot in a Major League game in 2002, went 2-for-4 on the night with a pair of RBIs and his second homer in as many games. The towering shot that cleared the leftfield wall tied Chen with the Sinon Bulls' long-ball threat Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan for the league's lead with 19 so far this season.
"I didn't think I had enough wood on it to hit it out, but I guess it just took off," Chen said after the game.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The seesaw battle between the two former Taiwan Major League (TML) squads had the visiting Cobras jumping out in front 2-0 with two second-inning runs off Bears rookie starter Tsai Ying-fong on Deng Shih-yang's lining single up the middle, before the hosts answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth to force a 2-all tie.
Wang Chuan-jia's sacrifice fly to deep-center with runners at the corners would help the serpents reclaim a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth, only to see the Bears countered once again with Chen's two-run blast, which turned out to be the game-winning hit as the Bears bullpen held its ground to keep the game scoreless the rest of the way.
Tsai was credited with his tenth win of the season for pitching 5-2/3 innings of three-run ball on eight hits and a walk, making a strong case for his run for the coveted Rookie of the Year honor.
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
Taking the tough loss was Chuang, who held his ground for the most part of the game in a relief appearance, except for the one pitch to Chen that became a souvenir for a very lucky fan.
Elephants 5, Lions 3
Riding a strong momentum from their victory on Friday night, the Brother Elephants topped the President Lions by a 5-3 final in Tianmu on Sunday evening to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.
Chen "the Golden Warrior" Chih-yuan homered for the second straight game to provide some sorely missed power for an Elephants offense that set a new league mark in consecutive innings without scoring a run at 38 over a troubling stretch mid-August. It was the ninth dinger for the popular Elephants outfielder who had won the hearts of fans with a "Rebel without a Cause" playing attitude that won him his distinguished nickname.
The contest began with the home Elephants drawing first blood in the bottom of the third on Fong Sheng-shien's one-run single off Lions starter Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen for a quick 1-0 lead before Chen's homer in the fourth made it 2-0.
Lions outfielder Kuo Dai-chi's sacrifice fly off newly arrived Elephants starter Eddy Candelario of the Dominican Republic cut the Brother lead to 2-1 in the top of the fifth before fellow slugger Tilson Brito knotted things up in the same inning with his third homer of the season.
The Lions rally lasted less than an inning as the Elephants promptly answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead, this time on the strength of an RBI single by Fong and a bases-loaded walk from Pan that the Golden Warrior drew.
Trailing 5-2, the Lions finally mustered one more scoring drive with Brito's second homer of the game, a solo shot off Elephants reliever Wang Jing-li in the top of the eighth. But that was as close as they got with dependable Elephants righty Chuck Smith entering the game in the ninth and retiring the side in order to secure the victory for winning pitcher Candelario.
Pocketing the loss for the Lions was Pan, who did not look particularly sharp by allowing all five of the Elephants runs on eight hits over six innings of work.
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