Failure to shut down the South Korean attack in the game-deciding seventh cost Taiwan the game as they lost by a disheartening 8-9 scoreline in Game Five of the Olympic baseball competition at the Wukesong Baseball Field in Beijing yesterday. It was their fourth straight defeat.
The late-game flop not only wasted an otherwise incredible rally that brought Taiwan all the way from a 0-8 deficit to eventually tie the game 8-8 in the bottom of the sixth, but virtually eliminated the team’s chances of advancing into the medal round and gave them a 1-4 record.
It was the third straight loss that Taiwan have suffered by a single run, following their first ever defeat to China in international competition in Friday’s 7-8 shocker and Saturday’s 0-1 loss to the defending champions from Cuba.
PHOTO: AFP
What was suppose to be a fairly even match between the two Asian powerhouses opened in amazing fashion, with South Korea dialing up seven runs off Taiwanese starter Yang Jien-fu in the top of the first on the strength of consecutive two-run singles by Lee Dae-ho and Lee Jin-young and a towering three-run home run by Ko Young-min.
South Korea would lead it 8-0 in the top of the second with an RBI double from Lee Dae-ho off reliever Nee Fu-deh, before the Taiwanese fought back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the same inning as back-to-back one-run singles by Yeh Jung-chang and Lin Tseh-hsuan cut the deficit to 2-8.
With Nee baffling the South Koreans with a repertoire of pitches from his side-arm delivery over the next four scoreless innings, Taiwan managed to rally to within two runs in a four-run fifth, highlighted by Chiang Chih-hsien’s bases-loaded two-run single, before tying the game up in the sixth when Peng Cheng-min’s clutch two-run double off reliever Han Ki-joo brought the dugout to its feet.
Unfortunately for Taiwan, the joy would last less than an inning as South Korea countered with a run in the seventh, when Chang Chih-chia allowed a single that scored the runner from second for what turned out to be the game winner.
Lin Chih-sheng’s leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh put Taiwan in an excellent position for a second comeback. But South Korean reliever Kwon Hy-uk promptly struck out the final two hitters, before fellow closer Yoon Suk-min pitched a near-perfect eighth and ninth to preserve the win.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
RSS