Poor pitching, coupled with a lack of timely hitting led to an ugly 13-3 defeat at the hands of Team Italy, as Taiwan dropped the opening game of the 2006 XVI Intercontinental Cup Baseball Championship in Taichung on Thursday night.
The hosts committed the cardinal sin of underestimating their opponents, spotting the Italians a seven-run cushion after only three innings of play and never recovered.
"I never thought we would lose by as much as we did," a shocked Taiwanese skipper Yeh Chih-shien said after enduring the worst defeat to Italy by Team Taiwan in tournament history.
A wild Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen (President Lions) whose fastball only topped out at 138kph compared to his normal 148kph, allowed a run in the opening inning to the Italians on an RBI single by designated hitter Max De Biase and found himself in a world of trouble in the top of the third, giving up three runs on as many hits before being relieved by fellow right-hander Lin Keh-chien.
Lin, who was tagged for four runs while recording no outs in the third, not only could not stop the bleeding, but added fuel to the fire, as Team Italy capitalized on a total breakdown by the Taiwanese pitching to erupt for six unanswered runs in the inning and claim a shocking 7-0 advantage.
Taiwan's second reliever Lee Cheng-chang finally stopped Italy from doing as it pleased with four scoreless innings of relief. But it was too little too late as the Italians ultimately solved him in the eighth with three doubles that knocked Lee out of the game before ringing up four more runs off lefty Yang Yao-hsuin in the ninth to end the slaughter.
Offensively for Taiwan, a 0-for-13 effort by the heart of the order, consisting of Hsieh "the Ugly" Jia-shien (Macoto Cobras), Chang "Prince of the Forest" Tai-shan (Sinon Bulls) and top amateur slugger Lin Yi-chuan, led to unusually inefficient run production, managing only three runs on the eleven hits collected in the game.
Any three of the dozen runners that Taiwan stranded over the first seven innings could have made it a brand new ball game because Italy did not pull away until the final two innings.
The loss set Taiwan back as it tries to reshuffle a starting rotation that has lost confidence while trying to forget about this ugly loss in the face of the stiff competition to come.
With tough contests against Japan, Australia and South Korea over the weekend, Yeh must find a way to rally his troops in a hurry before the 10-day tournament turns into an embarrassment for the hosts.
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
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
RSS