Taiwan roughed up previously unbeaten Japan in a 9-0 shutout to win the title game of the IBAF Under-21 Baseball World Cup tournament at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium last night and secure the gold medal in the 10-day competition.
Having lost to Japan the day before in the Super Round Robin to surrender field advantage in the final game, the hosts not only wanted to keep the title in Taiwan, but also avenge their lone loss in the tournament.
And that was exactly what they did as they overwhelmed the visitors from the north by scoring early and often.
Photo: CNA
“I am so proud of our players for believing in themselves even after [Saturday’s] loss; we didn’t let anyone down tonight,” an emotional Taiwan skipper Kuo-Lee Chien-fu said after the game.
His troops pulled off a rare feat by downing Japan and South Korea in the same tournament for the first time in recent years.
Starter Kuo Chun-lin was well on top of his game, with seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball silencing a Japan lineup, who had averaged nine runs per game in their previous seven outings.
Photo: CNA
The right-hander from National Taiwan Sport University, who is to pursue a professional career with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball later this month, ended his amateur days on a high note.
“We really did it, yes we did!” Kuo said after the game.
Lee Tsung-hsien’s bases-loaded walk off a wild pitch by Japan starter Yudai Mori in the top of the second got Taiwan on the board, before a wild throw by reliever Yuya Yokohama on what would have been an inning-ending double play scored two more to give Taiwan a 3-0 lead.
That led to a two-run fourth in which Taiwan pounded out a pair of singles and a double off Yokohama to send the lefty packing.
After a scoreless fifth and sixth against Japan reliever Kazoto Taguchi, the Taiwan hitters broke out once more with two runs each in the seventh and eighth to take a commanding 9-0 lead.
Four players had multi-hit games, with Yang Tai-chun’s 4-for-5 outing and a pair of RBIs leading the way.
Also starring was outfielder Tsao Yu-ning, who picked up two hits and a diving catch that took away a run-scoring extra-base hit from Japan’s Sho Azegami in the second.
In other games yesterday, the Czech Republic beat Australia 6-5 to claim fifth and South Korea took the bronze medal by beating Nicaragua 10-4.
Erik ten Hag’s first competitive game as manager tomorrow should herald a fresh start for Manchester Untied, but familiar failings behind the scenes have made the Dutchman’s difficult job an almost impossible one. Ten Hag’s predecessor Ralf Rangnick signed off from his miserable caretaker spell last season by stating that the United squad needed “open heart surgery” and up to 10 new players after laboring to a sixth-placed finish in the English Premier League. So far, only three new faces have arrived at Old Trafford — Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen. The United squad is arguably weaker than last season, with
RUSTY: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams lost the first singles match she has played since losing to Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei 49 weeks ago in Chicago Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-hsin on Monday defeated Nick Chappell of the US 6-4, 6-4 at the Los Cabos Open in Mexico, his third victory on the ATP Tour this season. The 20-year-old won 84 percent of points on his first serve and did not face a break point to advance after 1 hour, 31 minutes. The Taiwanese, who earlier this season lifted ATP Challenger Tour trophies in Bengaluru, India, and Murcia, Spain, before he made his debut at the French Open, next faces reigning champion Cameron Norris of Britain. In Washington, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray of Britain crashed out in the opening
Taiwanese infielder Chang Yu on Saturday made his major league pitching debut when he was pulled off third base in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the Tampa Bay Rays’ bullpen in their 9-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Chang’s chance to take the mound came as the Tigers’ scoring was already out of hand for the Rays. Detroit mounted a rare offensive outburst, leading Rays manager Kevin Cash to preserve his pitchers by allowing Chang to throw an inning. He retired Willi Castro on what the scoreboard called a 40mph curveball, but Detroit’s Jonathan Schoop hit the next pitch for
Australia’s Donna Lobban said she and her Scottish husband Greg Lobban would not be signing “divorce papers” after she beat him in mixed doubles squash competition at the Commonwealth Games on Friday. Donna Lobban and her partner, Cameron Pilley, came back from a game down to win 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 and reach the semi-finals in Birmingham, England. The defending champion, 35, said she was braced for her husband’s reaction. “I might have to put up with him being in a terrible mood for a while, but if I had lost it would have been him putting up with me being in a
RSS