Uni-President Lions outfielder Lin An-ko on Tuesday blasted two homers to set league and club records, and lead the Lions to a 14-1 rout over the CTBC Brothers as the CPBL heads into the final month of the season.
Over the past two seasons, Lin has churned out star performances for the Lions, attracting media attention for his skill as an outfielder, batter and left-handed pitcher, along with his good looks and multi-ethnic background, with a Taiwanese father and Argentine mother.
In Tuesday’s action at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium, Lin supported the Lions hitting lineup with two solo homers in the second and fifth innings, and a double with bases loaded in the third inning for a total of five runs batted in.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The Taiwanese-Argentine star set a league record for the youngest player — at 23 years and 133 days — to reach 30 home runs in a single season, beating Wang Po-jung’s 2017 record — at 24 years and 12 days — when Wang played for the Lamigo Monkeys.
Lin also became the first Taiwanese player at the Uni-President Lions to tally 30 homers, and with one month left in the season, he is expected to surpass Dominican slugger Tilson Brito’s 2007 club record of 33 home runs.
“When the season started, I wanted to pitch and hit, and my goal was to hit 10 home runs,” Lin said after the game. “I did not expect to reach 30, break Wang’s record, and close in on Brito’s club high of 33.”
“I want to thank my coaches, who let me have freedom in batting and helped the team to win the game,” he added.
Lin was in 2018 drafted by the Lions, after he pitched left-handed on Taiwan national youth teams, at the high-school and university levels.
He surprised everyone with his batting prowess after he got injured, and his coaches had him play in the outfield and focus on hitting.
Although in his second season, Lin is in the running to be named Rookie of the Year.
Last season, he only played in 29 games and had 121 plate appearances, falling short of the cutoff of 124 plate appearances.
Pundits and fans have pointed to Lin’s outstanding performance this year, saying that he is on pace to become the league’s Most Valuable Player for this season.
Lin leads the league with 30 homers and tops the RBI chart with 94.
He is expected to hit the 100-RBI plateau before the season ends, which has only been achieved by three other CPBL players since 2016.
Lin and teammates Chen Chia-hsien and Su Chih-chieh have been dubbed the Lions’ Handsome Outfield Trio — and all three have been hot all season with key hits leading the team to victory.
After Tuesday’s win, the Lions are locked in a tight race for the CPBL second-half title, only trailing the Fubon Guardians by half a game.
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