The TSG Hawks’ Bradin Hagens on Saturday reached a record 22 straight wins as they beat the Uni-President Lions 5-2.
At TSG’s home stand in Kaohsiung, Hagens started on the mound, and needed late offensive support to pocket the triumph over the visiting Lions.
Hagens got rattled in the opening frame, when the Lions got three singles to gain one run, but in the bottom half of the inning, his teammates leveled it with a double and a sacrifice fly.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
However, in the sixth frame, the Lions’ batter smashed a home run, and the Hawks fell behind 2-1.
The Hawks rallied in the bottom of the sixth to seize two runs and led 3-2, then they added two late runs.
“We are out here to win games, so had to focus pitch by pitch, inning by inning ... and getting the record is just part of that, as I am here to do my job,” Hagens said, thanking his teammates for good defense and battling the Lions’ pitchers.
“Getting 22 consecutive wins is just unbelievable,” TSG Hawks manager Hong I-chung said yesterday.
Hagens broke the previous CPBL record by Lions legend Pan Wei-lun, who had recorded 21 straight wins from 2007 to 2008.
“When Pan broke the league record with 21 consecutive wins 17 years ago, he was 26, at the peak of his career... It is incredible that Hagens has achieved 22 straight wins at 36,” Hong said.
“For Hagens, achieving this record required a lot of hard work. Having good luck can only get you through one or two games, but for this achievement, he needed the stamina and skills to do it,” he said. “He has been an outstanding pitcher for us.”
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