Starting pitcher Elih Villanueva of the Brothers Baseball Club made Taiwanese professional baseball history when he pitched a no-hitter against the Lamigo Monkeys for a 1-0 win in Taichung on Friday.
The right-hander from Florida showed his skill as he sailed through nine innings on 10 strikeouts, allowing only two Lamigo Monkeys to get on base, one on a hit and one on a walk.
With the bases loaded in the first inning, the Brothers got one run against Lamigo pitcher Zeke Spruill — from Virginia and in his second Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) season — when designated hitter Chou Ssu-chi earned a walk, squeezing in the runner on third.
Photo: CNA
It would be the only run the Brothers needed on the night, as Villanueva took control on the mound and dismissed the Lamigo’s power hitters one by one at the plate.
The shutout ended a 10-game winning streak for the table-leading Lamigo Monkeys and, as of Friday, lifted the Brothers into second place at 4-1/2 games out.
“Today went smoothly — according to our game plan — so I must thank the Brothers coaches and players for placing their trust in me... It felt like things were really working with our catcher. When we got into the fifth inning, I could feel that this was going to be something special,” Villanueva was quoted as saying after the game.
“This is my first season here, so it’s important for me to get to know the league and the conditions, and to do my job as a pitcher. The last time that I faced the Lamigo Monkeys, we didn’t do well, so this time I got back at them,” he added.
Villanueva entered the CPBL record books with only the eighth no-hitter in league history. The Brothers have bragging rights after being the only team to have two shutouts in the same season.
The Brothers’ first shutout of the season came on June 9 when left-handed starter Nick Additon did not allow the Uni-President Lions to get a hit in nine innings.
Also at Taichung’s Intercontinental Stadium, the Brothers cranked out 17 hits during that match-up, steamrolling over the Lions for an 11-0 victory.
Just the seventh no-hitter in the CPBL’s 29-year history, the win came as Additon struck out seven and walked six, although no damage was done.
Brothers catcher Huang Chun-sheng also entered the record books as the first CPBL catcher to call pitches from behind the plate for two no-hitters.
Asked about his contribution, Huang laughed modestly and said: “I had luck on my side. The pitchers had outstanding performances.”
Brothers teammates and fans celebrated the special accomplishment, as the two no-hitters had not come easily. They had previously just missed record status due to a late-inning single.
Prior to Additon’s shutout, there had been a drought of 10 years. Uni-President all-star pitcher Pan Wei-lun went the distance without yielding a hit for a 7-0 victory against the Chinatrust Whales on July 10, 2008, at Tainan Municipal Stadium.
In Saturday match-ups, outfielder Lan Ying-lun smashed a two-run homer, leading the Lamigo Monkeys to a 4-2 win over the Brothers in Taichung, while right-hander Mike Loree from New Jersey registered his ninth win of the season for the Fubon Guardians.
Loree pitched eight innings for six strikeouts. He only gave up two runs on three hits and two walks, enabling Fubon to double up 6-3 over the Uni-President Lions at Sinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City.
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