Opening day finally arrives for the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) today with the defending champs, the La New Bears, hosting the President Lions in the season-opening game to be played at the Kaohsiung County Baseball Stadium this afternoon.
Nearly 20,000 fans are expected to flock to the ballpark this afternoon to witness the Bears take on last season's runner-up at home in the traditional rematch of last season's championship series.
Both clubs are coming off an unusual spring training this year, with the Bears enjoying a fine 4-2 record on the strength of a potent lineup while the Lions struggled to eke out two wins.
FILE PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
"It's not a matter of simply winning the title again for us this year; we actually have our eyes on being Asia's No. 1," Bears right-hander Tsai Ying-fong said at yesterday's press conference at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei.
The Bears season will rely on a starting rotation that welcomes foreign lefties including Gary Rath of the US and Venezuelan pitcher Horacio Estrada, to complement righties Tsai, Liang Rue-hao and Hsu Wen-hsiung.
The Bears have the best-hitting infield in the business, consisting of third baseman Shih Chih-wei, shortstop Lin Chih-sheng, second baseman Jiang Chih-tsong and veteran first baseman Pan Chung-wei.
The Lions will send local right-hander Pan "Du Du" Wei-luen to the mound this afternoon to take on the defending champs as the staff ace looks to duplicate his success against the Bears hitters in last year's season-opening win.
Getting some early runs in the game will be crucial for the Lions today since the Bears will undoubtedly look to the strength of their big bats to make Rath's Taiwanese debut an easy win.
Should their plan to score early in the game fail, it may be a long night for the Lions since their mid-inning relief is an area that poses serious concerns for Japanese skipper T. Ohashi.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series. Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner lasted four innings, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited Kershaw to seven games last season, and his 2025 debut was delayed as he recovered from multiple offseason surgeries. O’Hoppe had two hits with
RSS