Mon, Mar 13, 2023 page7

• Cuba destroy Taiwan’s WBC dreams

  ‘IT WAS TOUGH’: Taiwan manager Lin Yueh-ping said that playing three games in a row had taken a toll on the team, but admitted they need to work on their pitching

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  It was a tough ask. Coming off an emotional World Baseball Classic (WBC) win over the Netherlands fewer than 14 hours earlier, Taiwan yesterday needed to defeat a well-rested Cuba in what was essentially an elimination game for both teams.

  Whether it was a lack of rest ahead of the noon start, being emotionally drained after two wins the previous two nights or simply their pitching, Taiwan lost to Cuba 7-1, eliminating them from the tournament.

  Taiwan’s lineup fizzled, finishing with only four hits and 12 strikeouts after scoring 19 runs on 27 hits, including three homers, against Italy and the Netherlands on Friday and Saturday night.

  

  Taiwan’s Yu Chang scores a run in their WBC Pool A game against Cuba in Taichung yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  In contrast, Cuba pounded out 13 hits, including two homers, after having had the day off on Saturday.

  Taiwan manager Lin Yueh-ping said that the schedule had worn down his team.

  “Many players had some issues after finishing last night’s game. So it was tough,” Lin said, without going into detail.

  “This was our third consecutive game, so it wasn’t just the short break from a late night game to a noon game today. The three straight games took a toll on us,” he said.

  Although their offense was a disappointment, it was probably Taiwan’s pitching that ultimately prevented them from advancing.

  Taiwan put on a “great performance” overall, Lin said.

  “People used to doubt our offense, but after four games, it is clear that it’s the pitching we need to work on. We need to do that in our pro league,” he said.

  In four games, Taiwan allowed 31 runs. Their starters pitched a total of only nine innings and gave up 10 earned runs on 16 hits.

  Taiwan ended with a 2-2 record in Pool A, but in the late game in Taichung last night, Italy beat the Netherlands 7-1, resulting in a five-way tie, with each team at 2-2.

  The top two squads were to be settled by a tiebreaker.

  However, the key tiebreaker is runs allowed, and Taiwan allowed the most runs of any team in the group, meaning it could not secure one of the two top spots in Pool A and a trip to Tokyo for the WBC quarter-finals.

  The elimination hit several players hard, including Yu Chang, who has played in the US major leagues since 2019, most recently for the Boston Red Sox.

  Chang was in tears after the game and initially asked not to talk to the media, but later gathered himself.

  “We didn’t achieve our stated goal, and it’s too bad, but that’s a part of baseball and we have to accept it,” he said.

  Chang was Taiwan’s top slugger during their four Pool A games, with a .438 batting average and a 1.438 OPS. He scored two homers and eight RBIs.

  “Every member of Team Chinese Taipei, including players and staff members, are all heros,” he later wrote on Facebook.

  Taiwan actually threatened in the top of the first inning, putting runners on first and second on a hit batter and walk with only one out, but then Chang and Wu Nien-ting struck out, and Cuba wasted no time putting the game out of reach.

  Two doubles, an error and a two-run homer by Erisbel Arruebarrena off starter Chen Shih-peng put Cuba up 4-0 after one innning.

  Singles by Yadir Drake and Yadil Mujica and an RBI force-out by Roel Santos in the second inning forced Chen out of the game.

  Santos was then caught stealing, but Yoan Moncada greeted reliever Chen Kuan-wei with a homer to right, giving Cuba a 6-0 lead that would never be challenged.

  The crowd kept up its energy through much of the game, but Taiwan never had a runner in scoring position after the first. Their only run, a last-gasp effort in the ninth inning, came on a Chang double to right center, scoring Wang Wei-chen from first.
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