CTBC Brothers pitching coach Wang Chien-ming on Monday served as a guest pitching coach for a day to help Palau’s national baseball team get ready for an upcoming regional multi-sport event that includes baseball.
The Palau team are in Taiwan as part of a training program organized by National Taiwan Sport University at the behest of the Sports Administration to prepare for the 12th quadrennial Pacific Mini Games in June in the Pacific island-state.
Wang, who starred for the New York Yankees from 2005 to 2008 before a foot injury derailed his career, was featured as a guest pitching coach at the invitation of Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung.
Photo: CNA
Cheng said Wang offered insights and tips to Palau’s pitching staff, while Wang praised Palau’s pitchers for having a good foundation, enabling him to focus on more technical details on how to pitch as efficiently as possible.
Monday’s program concentrated on the best way to grip the ball, optimizing the throwing motion and getting as much power as possible from the pivot foot, Wang said.
Wang also taught the pitchers of Palau his signature sinker, for which he was known during his time in the major leagues.
Palauan pitcher Ray Rdialul Rumong, who got some tips from Wang, said that the former Yankee was very detailed in his coaching and the session gave pitchers several insights, including how to have better control.
According to Cheng, arranging for Wang to coach the Palau team was part of a program to give the allied island-state access to Taiwan’s abundant baseball resources to further its abilities.
One of the programs’ main elements would be to have the Palau national team play against local school teams at all levels to help Palauan players get more game experience and build up their skills, Cheng said.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
RSS