The Brothers Baseball Club scored four runs in the opening frame on their way to a 9-7 win at the Sinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City yesterday, handing the hapless Fubon Guardians their ninth consecutive defeat this CPBL season.
Fubon lefty starter Chris Seddon of the US got into early trouble, with the Brothers loading the base on two walks and a hit in the first inning.
With one out, Brothers second baseman Chiang Chih-hsien drilled an offering from Seddon over the outfield wall for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead.
Photo: CNA
The Brothers piled up more runs in later innings, but Fubon fought back with seven runs in the final three frames.
US starter Bryan Woodall picked up his first win of the season, yielding only one run on eight hits and six strikeouts through seven innings of work.
The Brothers opened their three-game series against the Guardians with a 9-4 victory on Friday, putting on a big rally in the seventh inning to pile on six runs.
Slugger Lin Chih-sheng, also known by his Aboriginal name, Ngayaw Ake, blasted a three-run homer for the key hit in the onslaught.
The win on Friday ended a slump of five straight losses for the Brothers.
Brothers manager and former MLB star Cory Snyder praised the effort of pitcher Cheng Chih-hung for his middle-relief role on Friday.
Cheng tossed three scoreless innings to shut down the Guardians’ offense and kept the Brothers within striking distance, which they capitalized on in the seventh.
“The other team had a man on base and my gut feeling was to send a veteran pitcher up there. So I called on Cheng, because he has experience and can throw strikes,” Snyder said.
“So Cheng was the most suitable candidate and he did the job for us,” Snyder said.
In the other contest last night, the visiting Lamigo Monkeys and the Uni-President Lions were locked at 4-4 into the 12th inning at the Lions’ home Tainan Municipal Stadium.
With one man on base, Lions outfielder Chu Yuan-chun ripped a shot to deep centerfield for a double, bringing home the winning run.
The Lamigo Monkeys maintained first place after yesterday’s results, with the Lions in second and the Brothers in third place.
The Guardians are firmly at the foot of the table.
Baseball pundits and fans attributed the Guardians’ results to internal strife, with two of the team’s stars — outfielder Lin Che-hsuan and first baseman Lin Yi-chuan at odds.
Lin Che-hsuan has accused Lin Yi-chuan of having a lax approach and defensive deficiencies.
The row between the two has adversely affected team morale and their onfield performance, despite Fubon manager Yeh Chun-chang and former coaches attempting to get the two feuding stars to reconcile their differences.
Fubon’s owner and executives were reportedly flustered by the situation, which has also split supporters, while netizens have been hotly debating the situation.
All sides seem helpless to turn around the club’s fortunes, with many fans expressing anger and disappointment over perceived selfish attitudes displayed by the two Lins.
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