MILB: The Toronto Blue Jays released LHP Chi-Hung Cheng, the third CSMG client this year to have his ties severed from a ML organization (Po-Hsuan Keng and Chin-Hui Tsao suffered the same fate). Cheng was never able to fully regain his form (prior to the tear and surgical repair of his labrum) as his fastball was in the low 80's this year. Prior to his surgery, he topped out at 88 mph but sat comfortably in the 85-87 range.
R - The AZL Mariners lost 4-3. YW Chang took the L after giving up 2 runs (1 ER) in an IP (3 BB's, 1 K). Box
A+ - Kinston lost 3-1 in a DH. SW Tseng fell to 0-8 after allowing 2 runs (1 ER) in 1.1 IP. Box
A+ - High Desert is down 4-2 in the 5th. KH Lo is 1-2 with a RBI. Box
AAA - Vegas is down 5-0 in the 6th. CL Hu is 1-2. Box
NPB: The Tigers beat the Dragons 6-5. WY Chen started for the Dragons and earned a ND - he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits over 5.1 IP. WC Lin was 1-4 with a RBI. Box
Youth NT: Because of heavy rains in Shizuoka, the semifinals were cancelled and a championship match was set up between the winners of the two groups - Taiwan and Japan. Japan would defeat Taiwan 3-2 in 6 innings, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 6th to win the 2008 Asian title. Runner-Up yet again.....seems to sum up this summer's theme.
Other: Chin-Hui Tsao made only 2 appearances in the Olympic Games (1.2 IP total). The reason why? Per Apple Daily, Coach Hong was hesitant to use him because Tsao was still complaining of arm pain. Tsao was hoping to use the OG as a springboard back into MLB - however he is leaving his options open (NPB and CPBL are other possibilities). Tsao did hit a high of 93 mph during the OG.
MILB: R - The GCL Red Sox won 6-3. CH Huang was 2-4 with a double, a HR, and 2 RBI's. CC Chen was 1-3. Box
A+ - High Desert is up 6-4 in the 8th. KH Lo is 0-2 with 2 RBI's. Box
AAA - Vegas is up 8-3 in the 7th. CL Hu is 1-2 with a triple, a RBI, and a BB. Box
Youth NT: The NT defeated the Philippines 5-0 over 6 innings. The game was scoreless until the 6th inning when the team would erupt for all of its runs. Wei-Di Weng started for the team and proceeded to help hold the Philippines hitless in the game. Weng K'd 7. *Updated
What was responsible for Tarzan's one year suspension? As reported by UDN.com, Clomiphene (Clomiphene citrate) is the answer.
Interesting excerpts from wiki on the substance:
-Rare adverse effects (<0.1%>alopecia-Clomifene is commonly used by male anabolic steroid users to bind the estrogen receptors in their bodies, thereby blocking the effects of estrogen, i.e., gynecomastia. It also restores the body's natural production of testosterone. It is commonly used as a "recovery drug" and taken toward the end of a steroid cycle.
CPBL: Tai-Shan Chang has been banned for one year (until August 19th, 2009) from participating in any international competitions by the IBAF for his role in taking a banned substance. While his bat would've been nice to have during all of the 1-run deficits that the Olympic NT faced, this also means that he will not be available for the World Baseball Classic taking place in March of next year.
NPB: The Tigers won 4-0. WC Lin smacked a HR and was 2-4 with 2 RBI's. Box
MILB: R - The Red Sox swept a DH from the Twins in the GCL. The Sox won game 1, 6-3. CH Huang was 1-3 with a RBI. Box The Sox won game 2, 3-2. CH Huang was 1-2 with a BB. WW Lin was 1-3. Box
R - The GCL Braves lost 5-4. CE Hung threw a scoreless 8th inning. Box
R - The GCL Indians won 12-3. CH Chen was 0-4 with a BB and an error. Box
R - The GCL Tigers won 7-3. CT Tang was 0-3 with 2 BB's and his 3rd SB of the year. Box
A - Lansing lost 6-3. CH Cheng earned the loss, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits over 2 IP. Box
AAA - Vegas is up 2-1 in the 8th. CL Hu is 1-3 with an error. Box
YOUTH NT: Taiwan won 13-0 over Hong Kong in 5 innings on Tuesday. Cheng-Han Tsai started for the NT and helped to hold the HK squad hitless over 5 innings. *Updated
It's been a tough summer - no championships in major amateur events and a crash & burn showing in the Olympics. However, no matter the results, you can always find a positive in all of the negativity surrounding the lack of success.
First off, the junior National Team: MLB signees: RHP Yao-Wen Chang (10/31/90), C Meng-Hsiu Tsai (5/13/90), RHP Wei-Chen Huang (3/6/1990), RHP Hsin-Hong Tsai (4/24/90) & NPB signee RHP Yi-Hao Lin (1/2/91) were all age-eligible prospects who were not on the junior NT roster. Several other prominent names were also left off of the junior NT - you can thank the Ku-Pao HS coach for his selections (9 of the 20 kids selected were from Ku-Pao while 8 other selections were from the teams that placed 2nd - 4th at the 2008 Yu-Shan Cup). It would've been nice (and made more sense) if the selection process for the junior NT was similar to the model the USA follows. Still the team only had one blowout loss and lost to the eventual champs by 1 run - all this despite the much hyped Rong-Hao Hsieh ('06 youth NT, '07 junior NT) being a major disappointment. RHP Che-Ming Su, OF Yen-Ju Chen, IF Yu-Hsiang Chen, and IF Fu-Lin Kuo ('06 youth NT) all performed well. FL Kuo (who's game is similar to Reds prospect Yen-Wen Kuo) may be the team's best pro-prospect. Heralded youngster - IF Wei-Chen Wang ('07 youth NT) had a rough go as a 17 year old on the international stage.
Regarding the Pony Baseball Organization, despite failing to win a championship this summer, all three reps from Taiwan earned the runner-up position in their respective World Series. Several kids have established themselves as names to remember for the future and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of those before them.
At the Palomino World Series: prospects Wei-Da Su, RHP's Cheng-Hao Wang & Po-Cheng Chi (side-arm release, 91 mph fb) headlined the team from Taichung.
At the Pony World Series: last year's two Little League stars Chao-Min Wang and Chi-Yuan Chen made the jump up a level. CY Chen looked impressive at the plate (he's corrected that Eric Davis-like awkward batting stance he used last year), showed good speed on the basepaths, and flashed nice range and a strong arm at SS. Nonetheless, the team was also led by slugger Li-Jen Chu (physically mature for his age) and staff ace Lee-Wei Chiang (tall and very projectable - he's Yu-Hung Lee's little brother).
Much like last year's LL dynamic duo of Wang and Chen, the Bronco World Series reps were led by two promising youngsters: Chia-Ming Tu and Kuan-Yi Lee.
The 5th annual Asian Youth Championships have begun in Shizuoka, Japan. The boys are grouped with Hong Kong, the Philippines and IZU (Japan) in group A. Group B is made up of ZAMA (Japan), South Korea, Thailand, and the Japanese youth NT. The tourney will run through the 29th of this month.
Taiwan's schedule: 1)8/25 vs. IZU (Japan) 2)8/26 vs. Hong Kong 3)8/27 vs. the Philippines
Starting August 28th, the top 2 teams from each group will play each other in the semifinals, with the championship game taking place August 29th.
Taiwan won it's opening game 10-0 against IZU (Japan). The two teams were in a scoreless tie until the NT scored a run in the 5th before blowing the game open with 9 runs in the 6th and final inning. Starting pitcher Chieh Pan threw 5 scoreless innings.
R - The GCL Tigers lost to the Indians 4-0 in the first game of a DH. CT Tang was 0-2. Box CH Chen was 2-3 as the Indians lost 2-0 in game 2. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox lost 7-6. CH Huang was 0-3; CC Chen was 1-4 with a double and a RBI; WY Lin started and allowed 5 runs on 7 hits (2 HR's) in 4.2 IP. Box
A ss - Williamsport won 16-7. YF Lin threw a scoreless 9th, K'ing 3. Box
A+ - High Desert is up 1-0 in the 5th. KH Lo is 1-2 with a RBI. Box
NPB: WC Lin was 0-4 as his team won 3-0. Box *Updated
OG: Hats off to South Korea on a perfect run through the Olympic Games. SK beat Cuba in the gold medal match up 3-2. It's been quite a year for South Korean baseball - the juniors won the world championships not too long ago and some more marquee HS kids are making the jump to the US.
Here's an update on two of the bigger-named unsigned amateur pitchers on the island. Both players have had some decent offers thrown their way by MLB teams. However at this time, both kids are gambling on a bigger pay day down the line. What was at stake?
RHP Chih-Lung Huang (pictured on right) turned down a $150K offer while RHP Chia-Jen Lo (pictured on left) turned down $200K - a mistake on their behalves? Perhaps........only time will tell.
There were three amateurs on the NT - all pitchers: Chia-Jen Lo, Kai-Wen Cheng, and Chen-Chang Lee.
One player def. helped himself with his performance in Beijing while two others potentially hurt their stock.
RHP Chen-Chang Lee The side-armer reached 92 mph in his outing against the USA and flashed an above average slider to help boost his value in the tournament after living in oblivion over the past 2 years. He is currently with CSMG and has reportedly turned down a $150-175K offer ($90 K per another source) from the Indians before. Lee, who was once hyped by Keith Law as the top signable Taiwanese collegiate pitcher in 2007, has garnered little interest over the past 2 years due to poor performances but has rebounded now. His expectation is likely to reach ~ $300,000. The down-side to Lee is the fact that being a side-armer limits his potential somewhat and he hasn't had the best track record over the past 2 years. He also has a history of a shoulder injury as reported by the Taiwanese media. CC Lee's blog/album *edited/updated
RHP Chia-Jen Lo The most sought-after prospect available on the team. His value dropped as a result of his performance during the Olympics. Velocity topped out at 93 mph but he had poor command of his fastball and poor breaking pitch offerings. Throw in his rumored demand of ~$400,000 and a possible history of a shoulder injury, his chances of signing with a MLB team are lower now than before the tourney. Word is that the Red Sox and Rangers have held off in their pursuit of him. Also the Twins made an offer to Lo prior to the Olympics which was turned down. That offer is now off the table. His agent is Kenny Lin, who broke off from KDN. CJ Lo's album/blog *edited
RHP Kai-Wen Cheng His performance against Japan significantly dropped his value; he was lacking in a few key elements: composure on the mound, command of his pitches, and velocity on his fb. He is still young but because he is undersized, has average velocity, a subpar release angle, and history of a shoulder injury, the chances of him signing anytime soon are unlikely. In addition, his signing bonus demand is ~ $300,000. The Twins and Royals likely still have some interest but the offer would be very low. He is represented by Bros Sports. KW Cheng's album/blog
To wrap things up, all 3 pitchers are talented but also have a history of injuries and high signing bonus demands. If Lee and Lo do not sign anytime soon, then they will likely play in the CPBL. Cheng will continue on with college.
OG: Well, the NT finally won a close game, this time defeating Canada 6-5 in extra innings (12) to salvage a bit of lost pride. Coach Hong pulled out all the stops, using his top starting pitchers available against Canada - lefty Wei-Yin Chen finally got his second appearance of the tourney (he started in the team's first game) and was then relieved by Wei-Lun Pan. Fu-Te Ni, pitching on one day's rest, was instrumental in the team's win. Ni relieved Pan and proceeded to throw 5 shutout innings, K'ing 6 and earned the win. Offensively, Red Sox farmhand CF Che-Hsuan Lin finally found his stroke and led the team with a 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, SB performance. SS Chih-Sheng Lin hit his second HR of the tourney in as many nights. The team's other 2 US minor-leaguers, also had multiple hits: 2B Chih-Hsien Chiang was 2-6 with a 2B, the GW-RBI, SB while LF Kuo-Hui Lo was 2-4 with a 2B, RBI.
With the win, the team salvaged 5th place in the tourney. Despite failing to reach the medal round, the youngsters on the NT provided us with some solace and hope for the future. NT starters: Wei-Yin Chen (23), Kuo-Hui Lo (22), Chih-Hsien Chiang (20), and Che-Hsuan Lin (19) are all younger than 24.
MILB: R - The GCL Indians lost 10-3 (game began on 8/8/08). CH Chen was 1-3 with a RBI and a BB. Box The GCL Indians lost today's game 1-0. CH Chen was 0-3. Box
R - The GCL Braves lost 6-2. CE Hung threw 1 scoreless inning. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox lost 4-1. CH Huang was 1-4. Box
R - The GCL Tigers won 9-3. CT Tang was 1-4 with an error. Box
AAA - Vegas won 8-5. CL Hu was 0-4 with an error. Box *Updated
OG: The NT lost another close game despite being limited to only 5 hits from the US pitching staff. Taiwan was led by SS Chih-Sheng Lin's big night at the plate - he was 2-4 with a double, a HR, and a RBI. Taiwan will try and salvage some pride in their last game against Canada tomorrow. A loss would signify the worst-ever showing by the NT in the Olympic Games.
Box/Play-By-Play/Game Recap (There will def. be some coaching changes to the NT after the OG are finished)
Chih-Sheng Lin's HR:
Chih-Sheng Lin's Double in the 5th Inning - leading to the NT's first run scored:
MILB: A+ - Kinston lost 17-14. SW Tseng allowed a run in 2 innings of work. Box
MLB: The Dodgers are down 5-3 to the Rockies in the 8th. HC Kuo has walked the first 2 batters he's faced. Box
Here's how the 3 Yomiuri Giants are currently doing:
RHP Yi-Hao Lin recently threw 2 innings, topped out at 92 mph, average velocity ~ 90 mph but had no command, giving up 4 runs
LHP Yu-Hung Lee recently threw 1 perfect inning; he topped out at 88 mph
RHP Chien-Ming Chiang's condition is poor, he has no velocity, his mechanics are out of whack, and has had no recent outings
*Speaking of Japan, amateur pitcher Chia-Jen Lo reportedly has a new agent - he's being represented by KDN's former rep in Taiwan, Kenny Lin. Lin split from Don Nomura (the reason may have had something to do with this fiasco?) and is shopping Lo on his own now.
OG: Coach Hong's decision to start CF Yang will be questioned for quite some time. Despite 2 errors contributing to South Korea scoring 7 runs in the 1st, Yang gave up 4 ER on 5 hits (including a 3-run HR) in his inning of work. Even with Yang's shaky performance, the NT still managed to rally and tie the game at 8 in the 6th inning. SK C Min-Ho Kang would then drive in the GW run in the top of the 7th inning.
Leading the way offensively for the NT was 1B Chia Chia who was 4-5 with a double and 2 RBI's.
OG: The game between Taiwan and South Korea is scheduled to kick off shortly. Chien-Fu Yang is scheduled to start against the undefeated SK squad. Despite Yang's poor showing against China and the fact that he's only 4-9 with a 4.98 ERA in the CPBL this year, coach Hong is going with an experienced starter and hoping that Yang can duplicate what he did in the OQT earlier this year. The coach has also shuffled the lineup around - Che-Hsuan Lin has been moved to the bottom of the order while Kuo-Hui Lo is now batting in front of Chia Chia.
MILB: R - The GCL Red Sox won 3-0. CH Huang was 2-5 with 2 doubles and a RBI. CC Chen was 1-3. Box
A - Asheville lost 14-8. SA Kuo 3 runs in 1.2 innings of relief. Box
AAA - Vegas is down 6-3 in the 8th. CL Hu is 2-4 with an error. Box
PONY: A walk-off 2-run HR in the bottom of the 7th helped Long Beach, CA capture the Pony League World Series title, beating Taiwan 3-2. WJPA Recap:
"Long Beach is Walk-Off Winner! Oliver Van Buskirk stroked a pinch-hit, two-run, walk-off homerun for Long Beach to win the 2008 PONY League World Series!
Linescore CT 1-0-0-0-0-0-1=2 LB 0-0-0-0-1-0-2=3
Inning by inning recap: _LB 7th--Matt Maccarrone singled to open the inning. Oliver Van Buskirk homered to right, winning the PONY League World Series championship.
CT 7th--Chiang Lee Wei walked on a 3-2 pitch, was sacrificed to second by Lin Yu Chih, then stole third. Wang Chao Min singled to center, scoring Chiang. Hu Chih Wei singled to right, moving Wang to second. After a passed ball moved up both runners, Wang was retired in a rundown between third and home. A popout ended the inning.
LB 6th--Groundout, strikeout, flyout.
CT 6th--Three up, three down. With the aid of the caught stealing and a doubleplay, DeJong has retired 13 straight.
LB 5th--After one out, Avery Flores singled. Brett Harper hit into a force play, but reached second on a throwing error, the ball going into the camera circle. DeWolf singled to left, scoring Harper. A flyout ended the inning with one left on.
CT 5th--With one out, Hsu Yung Cheng singled to right. A groundball doubleplay ended the inning.
LB 4th--All three batters hit balls to short--pop out, groundout, lineout.
CT 4th--Three up, three down.
LB 3rd--DeWolf reached on a groundball error but was erased on a line drive doubleplay.
CT 3rd--Liu Chia Kai walked but was later caught stealing.
LB 2nd--Soloman Willings, Irie Elizalde and Matt Maccarrone all singled to open the inning, loading the bases. Two flyouts and a groundout left the bases loaded.
CT 2nd--With two out, CHiu Chun Chang walked. Hsu Yung Cheng bunted for a basehit. A lineout ended the inning with two left on.
LB 1st--After one out, Daniel DeWolf singled to leftcenter. Thomas Walker grounded into a force play and was stranded.
CT 1st--After two out, Chen Chi Yuan doubled to center. Chu Li Jen reached on a throwing error, scoring Chen. A groundout ended the inning with one left on."
Starting Lineups:
Taichung, Taiwan
Long Beach, CA
7
Hsu Hao Feng
CF
8
Brett Harper
CF
5
Liu Chia Kai
1B
11
Daniel DeWolf
3B
13
Chen Chi Yuan
SS
24
Thomas Walker
SS
3
Chu Li Jen
3B
34
Chase DeJong
P
1
Chiang Lee Wei
RF
5
Soloman Williams
1B
2
Lin Yu Chih
C
99
Irie Elizalde
LF
15
Wang Chao Min
LF
16
Matt Maccarrone
C
10
Chiu Chun Chang
P
15
Victor Martinez
RF
6
Hsu Yung Cheng
2B
2
Avery Flores
2B
MLB: HC Kuo has given up a go-ahead 2-run HR to JJ Hardy of the Brewers in the 8th inning. The Dodgers are now down 3-2 in the 8th. Box
MILB: R - The GCL Tigers won 4-0. CT Tang was 1-3 with a double and a RBI. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox won 5-4 over the Twins. CH Huang was 0-4 while WY Lin threw 5.1 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 ER). WY Lin's twin brother, WW Lin DNP, but he is back in action.
A+ - Kinston lost 6-4. SW Tseng earned the loss after giving up 4 runs (2 earned) in an inning of work. Tseng is 0-6 on the year in Kinston. Box
AAA - Vegas is down 5-4 in the 7th. CL Hu is 0-3. Box
OG: You gotta take your hat off to the starting pitchers on the NT - collectively, they've allowed only 2 runs in the 4 games played (including tourney favs Japan and Cuba). Unfortunately for today's starter, Chen-Chang Lee, the one run he'd give up was the only run scored in the game. Lee was phenomenal against the Cuban NT, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits over 6.2 IP (7 K's, 2 BB's). His only mistake of the game was a solo HR allowed in his last inning of work to LF Frederich Cepeda.
Give the NT some credit for shaking off yesterday's disaster and giving Cuba all it could handle (even with CFC out of the lineup).
OG: Well, Friday 8/15 marks a low point in the history of the NT. Taiwan lost to China in extra innings, wasting a strong performance from SP Wei-Lun Pan (6.1 shutout innings, 4 H, 8 K's). Taiwan squandered a 2-0 lead in the 8th inning and a 7-3 lead in the 12th inning. China rallied for 5 unanswered runs in the bottom of the 12th against Bulls starter Chien-Fu Yang to pull off the upset.
One of the few bright spots for the team offensively was Mariners farmhand Kuo-Hui Lo. He hit the team's first HR of the tourney and was 2-2 with 4 walks and 2 RBI's. 3B Chih-Wei Shih collected 3 hits in 4 AB's.
On paper, this was a game that Taiwan was favored in (and was a must-win game for the team if it had any medal aspirations) - it will now face an uphill battle to finish in the top 4 (very unlikely) as the 4 remaining games are against powerhouses - Cuba, South Korea, the US, and Canada.
GW run scored by China in the 12th (Throw coming from RF Chien-Ming Chang - who was charged with the error - 2B Chih-Hsien Chiang was involved in the play as well - getting in the path of the throw):
PONY: At least there was some good news on the day; Taiwan beat Puerto Rico 5-4 on Friday to move on to the championship game tomorrow in the Pony League World Series.
WJPA's recap: "Chinese Taipei Rallies Past Gurabo, Makes Final
Chiang Lee Wei tossed a complete game four-hitter, leading Chinese Taipei to a 5-4 win over Gurabo, PR and a berth in Saturday's PONY League World Series championship game against Long Beach, CA.
Gurabo started quickly, leading 2-0 after four batters. Daniel Flores walked to open the game. After a wild pitch, Chrisian E. Rivera singled. A double steal brought Flores home. After a fielder's choice, Richard Gonzalez grounded out to short, scoring Rivera.
Hsu Hao Feng singled to open the first for Chinese Taipei and moved to second on a groundout. Chu Li Jen singled to left, scoring Hsu.
After one out in the second, Lin Yu Chih doubled. After an error put Wang Chao Min on first, both runners moved up on an errant pickoff throw. Pinch-hitter Tseng Hsin Hao tied the game with sacrifice fly to right.
The Caribbean champions went back in front when Gonzalez stroked a two-run homerun to right, scoring Flores ahead of him. But Gurabo would only get two more hits the rest of the night. In fact, Chiang would get nine strikeouts from that point on.
Meanwhile, Chu kept up the scoring, lining a solo homerun to rightcenter in the fourth. With two on and two out in the fifth, Chu singled to score Hsu, tying the game. Chiang followed with a mis-handled grounder to short, allowing Liu Chia Kai to score the game-winning run.
Chiang struck out a series-high 14 batters, walking five and allowing just four hits to earn his second win of the season. Chiang will also receive the New ERA pitching award, locking up the lowest ERA of Series pitchers with at least 8 innings of work.
Chu finished the game with three hits and three runs batted in. Gonzalez drove in three for Gurabo.
New ERA Title Chiang Lee Wei, Chinese Taipei Individual Home Run Derby 1. Chu Li Jen, Chinese Taipei"
MILB: R - The Red Sox won game 1 of a DH 1-0. CH Huang was 1-2 with a double and drove in the game's only run. CC Chen was 0-2. Box
R - The Tigers won 4-3 in game 2 of a DH. CT Tang was 0-4 with a RBI and an error. Box The Tigers lost game 1 3-2. CT Tang was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI's. Box
R - The GCL Indians lost 6-5 in 11. CH Chen was 0-2 with 3 BB's. Box
A ss - Williamsport won 5-4. YF Lin threw 1 scoreless inning. Box
A - Lansing lost 4-3. Although CH Cheng took the loss, he was impressive - giving up 1 run over 6 innings. Box
AAA - Vegas is down 9-3 in the 8th. CL Hu is 1-3 with a RBI. Box *Updated
OG: Up until the 9th inning, the NT kept things close against some of the top NPB talent available. Taiwan actually held a brief 1-0 lead in the 4th inning before Japan would score 2 over the next 2 innings to take a 2-1 lead. Plating Taiwan's lone run was Red Sox farmhand Chih-Hsien Chiang - he was 2-3.
Vid of Chiang's run-producing plate appearance:
1B Chia Chia collected Taiwan's only other hits (2-4 with a double). SP Wen-Hsiung Hsu pitched well, giving up 1 run on 3 hits over 5 IP. Chih-Chia Chang also performed well against his former league mates, throwing 2.2 shutout innings, K'ing 3.
Chia Chia's near miss:
Japan would plate 4 runs in the top of the 9th off of relievers Chin-Hui Tsao and Kai-Wen Cheng to produce the game's final score.
US minor leaguers Kuo-Hui Lo and Che-Hsuan Lin were hitless in their 7 collective AB's. Lin struggled in particular, K'ing in all 4 of his AB's, although he did make another nice defensive gem in the field.
MILB: R - The GCL Red Sox lost game 2 of a DH 1-0. CH Huang was 1-2 with a BB. Box CH Huang was 0-4 in the first game of the DH. The Red Sox lost 5-4. Box
R - The GCL Indians won 3-2 in 11. CH Chen was 0-1 as a PH. Box
AAA - Vegas is down 3-1 in the 9th. CL Hu is 0-3. Box
MLB: The Dodgers are up 3-1 over the Phillies in the 8th. HC Kuo has thrown a scoreless 8th inning, K'ing 2. Box
PONY: Puerto Rico beat Taiwan 7-4 on Thursday, forcing a do-or-die game tomorrow night between the same two teams.
WJPA.com's recap of tonight's action: "Gurabo Forces "If Necessary" Game
PR 1st--Daniel Flores walked. Vimael Machin hit a two-run homerun. PR 2, CT 0.
PR 3rd--Christian E. RIvera singled, stole second and scored on Vimael Machin's single to right. PR 3, CT 0.
CT 6th--Liu Chia Kai homered to center. Chu Li Jen homered to rightcenter. Chen Chi Yuan was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a Lin Yu Chih basehit. PR 3, CT 3.
PR 6th--Jan Ramos laid down a bunt single. Nelson Flores reached on a sacrifice/error. Miguel Riestra reached on a sacrifice/fielder's choice, loading the bases. After a flyout, Christian E. Rivera reached on an error, scoring Ramos. Vimael Machin singled to center, scoring Flores and Riestra. Richard Gonzalez singled to left, scoring Rivera. PR 7, CT 3.
CT 7th--Huang Hou Chi and Tseng Hsin Hao singled to start the inning. Hsu Hao Feng reached on a fielder's choice, Tseng's pinch runner out for interference. Liu CHia Kai reached on an error, loading the bases. Chiang Lee Wei walked. PR 7, CT 4."
OG: Taiwan defeated the Netherlands 5-0 yesterday. Wei-Yin Chen led the way with 7 K's in 7 innings, while RF Chien-Ming Chang was 2-3 with 2 RBI's. Box
Wei-Yin Chen's 7 K's:
Che-Hsuan Lin Making Things Look Routine:
PONY: In the Bronco League World Series, the boys fell to Panama City 3-1 in the championship game. 0-2 so far in championship games this year.
MILB: R - The GCL Indians beat the Tigers 7-6. CT Tang was 1-4 with a RBI while CH Chen was 2-5 with 2 RBI's. Box
R - The GCL Braves won 6-3 in 12. CE Hung threw 3 scoreless innings, K'ing 3. Box
AAA - Vegas is tied at 5 in the 11th. CL Hu is 3-5 with a walk, a RBI, and error #2. Box *Updated
The Pony League reps have today off after starting the tourney off 2-0. Last year's two LLWS stars, Chao-Ming Wang and Chi-Yuan Chen are on this squad.
Other Amateur: Taiwan has also sent a team to participate in the Alameda World Tournament Baseball. The team is currently 1-1 after 2 days.
MILB: R - The AZL Mariners are down 6-0 in the 8th. YW Chang has thrown 1 scoreless inning. Box
A ss - Williamsport lost 7-2. YF Lin threw 1 scoreless inning. Box
AAA - Vegas is up 5-2 in the 8th. CL Hu is 1-3 with his 2nd SB of the year. Box
MLB: The Dodgers are down 3-2 to the Phillies in the 8th. HC Kuo has punched out two (Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell) in an inning of relief. Box
NT/CPBL: After being moved to the #4 spot in the lineup, Mariners farmhand Kuo-Hui Lo broke out of his exhibition slump in a big way: he was 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBI's against the Sinon Bulls. Red Sox minor leaguer Chih-Hsien Chiang also hit a HR - he was 2-4 with 3 RBI's as well.
NT Lineup: CF Che-Hsuan Lin 2-5, 2 runs scored RF Chien-Ming Chang 2-4, RBI 1B Cheng-Min Peng 1-2, run scored, SB DH Kuo-Hui Lo 2-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI's, 2 runs scored 3B Tai-Shan Chang 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI's LF Wu-Hsiung Pan 1-4, RBI SS Chih-Sheng Lin 1-5, run scored C Chun-Chang Yeh 2-4, 2 runs scored, BB 2B-1B Chih-Hsien Chiang 2-4, HR, 3 RBI's, run scored, committed an error in the field 2B Yen-Wen Kuo 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB, run scored - off the bench 3B Chih-Wei Shih 1-2, 3B, run scored
- For the Bulls, P's Chi-Wei Lin, Jose Espinal, Wen-Ping Yu, Ming-Chin Tsai, and Yung-Chi Kuo allowed 11 runs on 16 hits - while K'ing 4 and walking 3 collectively. Offensively, DH Milton Veras was 2-4, 3B Yi-Chuan Lin was 2-4 with a double and a run scored, 1B Kuo-Long Hsu was 2-3 with a double and a RBI.
PONY: Taiwan's first game at the Pony League World Series is about to get underway. Click here to listen to the game. Game Recap from WPJA.com: "No Hitter Opens Series! Chiang Lee Wei and Hu Chih Wei combined on a five-inning no-hitter as Chinese Taipei topped Davenport, IA, 11-0. This was the 17th no-hitter in PONY World Series history. The Asia-Pacific champions scored in four of their five at-bats, including six runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Chu Li Jen stroked a three-run homer off the top of the fence in right to invoke the 10-run rule. Hsu Hao Feng also had two rbi."
NT/CPBL: The NT shut out the Lions behind Lions ace Wei-Lun Pan's strong start. Pan shut out his teammates over 5 innings, allowing 4 hits while K'ing 3 and walking 2. His relievers would hold the Lions hitless over the last 4 innings.
NT Lineup: CF Che-Hsuan Lin 2-3, 2 BB's, 2 runs scored, 2 SB's RF Chien-Ming Chang 2-5, HR, 3 RBI's, 2 runs scored 1B Cheng-Min Peng 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 runs scored DH Chin-Feng Chen 2-5 3B Tai-Shan Chang 2-5 LF Kuo-Hui Lo 0-3 2B Chih-Hsien Chiang 2-5, 2 RBI's C Chih-Kang Kao 0-3 SS Yen-Wen Kuo 2-2, 2B, run scored SS Chih-Sheng Lin 0-2 - off the bench LF Wu-Hsiung Pan 1-2, RBI - off the bench C Feng-Min Chen 0-2 - off the bench *Edited
-For the Lions, Lou Pote started and gave up 6 ER on 9 hits over the first 2 innings (2K's, 1BB). Yueh-Ping Lin would pitch the 9th and give up the final run to the NT (3H, 1K, 0BB's). Offensively for the Lions: DH Lien-Hung Chen was 0-3, 3B Tilson Brito was 0-3, 1B Kuo-Ching Kao was 2-3 with a double.
CJ Lo Making His Case to be the Team's Closer - he hit 152 kph (95 mph) on the stadium gun:
MILB: R - The AZL Mariners lost 5-4. YW Chang threw 1 scoreless inning, K'ing 2. Box
A ss - Williamsport lost 14-10. YF Lin pitched 2.1 innings of relief, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. Box
A+ - Kinston won 12-1. SW Tseng allowed the 1 run (on a HR) in an inning of relief. Box
NT/CPBL: NT 8 - Chinatrust Whales 2: Chin-Feng Chen and Cheng-Min Peng were a 2-man wrecking crew as they accounted for 7 of the NT's runs. NT starter Wen-Hsiung Hsu and his reliever Kai-Wen Cheng were also solid, shutting out the Whales over 8 innings.
NT Lineup: CF Che-Hsuan Lin 1-4, BB, run scored RF Chien-Ming Chang 0-2, BB, RBI 1B Cheng-Min Peng 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI's, 2 runs scored DH Chin-Feng Chen 2-4, 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 2 runs scored 3B Tai-Shan Chang 1-3 LF Kuo-Hui Lo 0-4 (3K's) 2B-3B Chih-Wei Shih 2-4, committed an error C Feng-Min Chen 0-3, run scored SS-2B Yen-Wen Kuo 0-4, run scored SS Chih-Sheng Lin 1-1 - off the bench C Chih-Kang Kao 0-1 - off the bench C Chun-Chang Yeh 0-0 - off the bench
-For the Whales, Lorenzo Barcelo & Wei-Ming Chu allowed 8 runs (7 ER) on 7 hits with 3 K's and 1 BB collectively over 4.1 IP. Relievers Yu-Chan Liu, Chang-Wei Tu, & Yu-Chieh Shen combined to shutout the NT over the last 4.2 innings, allowing only 2 hits while K'ing 3 and walking 1. Offensively, 1B Chia-Hsien Tseng was 1-3 with a double and a RBI while C Yi-Wei Lee was 1-3 with a double and a RBI.
CFC's Two Blasts:
MLB: HC Kuo threw 1 scoreless inning of relief as the Dodgers won 4-1. Box
MILB: R - The GCL Indians lost 7-4 in G1 of a DH. CH Chen was 1-3 with a RBI. Box
R - The GCL Tigers lost 2-1 in G2 of a DH. CT Tang was 1-3. Box
PONY:
Here are our Palomino World Series reps:
Remember this year's Yu-Shan Cup? Taichung City will be representing Taiwan at the Palomino World Series. The team is made up of kids from two Taichung high schools: Shi-Yuan and Gao-Nong. Click here to download the roster in English. The team is headlined by heralded players Wei-Da Su, Sheng-Chih Yang, Po-Cheng Chi, and Cheng-Hao Wang. *Updated
CPBL/NT: The Brother Elephants beat the NT 7-6 in 10 innings. Hopefully the NT receives its wake up call after this embarrassment. With the extra inning affair, the game incorporated the new Olympic baseball rule in the 10th inning. Game Recap
NT Pitching Staff: Wei-Yin Chen - 3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 2 K's, 1 BB Chih-Chia Chang - 2 IP, 2 R - 1 ER, 2 H, 0 K's, 2 BB's Fu-Te Ni - 1 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB's Chia-Jen Lo - 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K's, 0 BB's Chin-Hui Tsao - 1 IP, 1 R - 0 ER, 2 H, 0 K's, 1 BB - was saddled with the loss
NT Lineup: CF Che-Hsuan Lin 2-4, RBI, 2 runs scored RF Wu-Hsiung Pan 1-4, 2B, BB 1B Cheng-Min Peng 2-4, RBI, 2 BB's - committed an error in the field DH Chin-Feng Chen 3-6, HR, RBI, run scored, SB 3B Tai-Shan Chang 1-5, RBI - committed an error in the field 2B Chih-Hsien Chiang 1-5, run scored SS Chih-Sheng Lin 1-2, 2B, 2 BB's, run scored LF Kuo-Hui Lo 1-4, 2B, RBI, run scored C Chih-Kang Kao 0-1 C Chun-Chang Yeh 0-1 - off the bench C Chien-Ming Chang 0-0, BB - off the bench C Feng-Min Chen 0-1, RBI - off the bench
-For the Elephants, Dan Core, Kobayashi Ryokan, Chia-Rui Mai, & Yung-Chieh Yeh held the NT to 6 runs on 12 hits while K'ing 2 and walking 6 collectively. Performing well against some of the country's top pitchers were:
Here's the throw that JB was talking about (CH Lin Flashing his Gun - what's more impressive is that the guy he gunned down at home is speedy Cheng-Wei Huang, who is tied for 2nd in the CPBL in the Stolen Bases category)
*Updated
MILB: R - The GCL Tigers lost 8-2. CT Tang was 0-4 with 3 K's. Box
R - The GCL Indians lost 7-3. CH Chen was 1-4 with a triple, but committed 2 errors. Box
A+ - Kinston lost 9-6. SW Tseng took the loss after allowing 2 runs (on 3 BB's) in 1 inning of work. Box
AAA - Vegas won 4-2. CL Hu was 0-1 off the bench. Box
The National team defeated the T-Rex 3-0 over 7 innings. Chen-Chang Lee and Kai-Wen Cheng combined on a 1-hit shutout. T-Rex starter Nathan Bland held the NT to 3 unearned runs on 5 hits over 4 IP (5 K's, 1 BB).
NT Stats: Chen-Chang Lee (Win, 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 6 K's, 2 BB's)
The semifinals take place 8/11 (Taiwan will need to finish in the top 2 of its pool) and the championship game will be on 8/12.
*
pic from pony.org
The Pony League World Series (13-14 year olds) will begin this Saturday and run through the 16th. See here for the schedule. The team will begin the Series against the US North Zone winners. The Series is based on a double elimination format.
*Finally someone asked if we will have a representative in the Palomino League World Series (ages 17-19). It appears that we will have a team reppin the Asia-Pacific Zone. The Series begins this Friday and the team will face:
US East Zone - 8/8
US North Zone - 8/9
Host (PAL) - 8/10
The championship game (between the winner of the two brackets) will be on Monday, August 11th. The other bracket consists of Puerto Rico, Mexico, US South Zone, and US West Zone.
NPB: CS Yang is back with the parent club. He's hitless in the two games (8/3, 8/4) since the NPB All-Star break.
MILB: R - The GCL Indians won 3-0. CH Chen was 2-4 with a double. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox lost 5-1. CH Huang was 0-2. Box
R - The GCL Tigers beat the Braves 7-5. CT Tang was 2-4 with 2 doubles while CE Hung threw 2 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 ER) on 4 hits (including a HR). Box
R - The GCL Reds lost 6-2. TK Chiu made his 2nd appearance of the season, allowing 2 runs (1 ER) on 4 hits over 2 IP. Box *Updated
A - Lansing lost 3-0. CH Cheng earned the loss despite pitching well. He allowed 1 run on 8 hits over 5 IP (4K's, 2BB's). Box
MILB: R - The GCL Reds beat the Red Sox 4-1. CH Huang was 2-3 with a double and a BB. CC Chen was 1-4 with a double. Box
R - The GCL Tigers lost 8-4. CT Tang was 1-3 with a walk, his 2nd SB of the year, and collected an OF assist. Box
AAA - Vegas lost 3-2. CL Hu was 1-3 with a BB. Box
CPBL/Olympics: The league is on hiatus for a short while as it will help the NT prepare for the Olympic Games. Here's the schedule for the scrimmages: 8/5 vs. T-Rex 8/6 vs. Elephants 8/7 vs. Whales 8/8 vs. Lions 8/9 vs. Bulls
It appears as if Elephants ace Yu-Cheng Liao will serve as an insurance policy should any of the current pitchers suffer a setback prior to the OG.
World Junior Championships: Just like in 2006, Taiwan finished 5th at this year's World Junior Championships. Taiwan sealed the deal by beating the host nation Canada 11-4. SP Kuan-Yu Chen (here's his blog/album) earned the win while #3 and 4 hitters Yu-Hsiang Chen and Fu-Lin Kuo blasted the team's first and only home runs of the tourney (back-to-back in the 4th inning). Box/Recap/Final Team Stats Meanwhile in the day's other action, South Korea defended its world crown by shutting down perennial power - the US, 7-0. Cuba garnered third place with a 6-2 win over Australia.
YH Chen hit .355 in 31 AB's with 1 HR, 4 2B's, 5 BB's, 3 SB's, 2 RBI's YJ Chen hit .346 in 26 AB's with 2 2B's, 4 BB's, 6 SB's, 3 RBI's FL Kuo hit .323 in 31 AB's with 1 HR, 1 3B, 3 2B's, 0 BB's, 2 SB's, 7 RBI's
Performance-wise, Che-Ming Su was the top pitcher for Taiwan. In 20 innings, he had an 0.90 ERA, picked up 2 W's and a Save, while K'ing 19.
All-in-all, the team did fairly well (aside from getting slammed by Cuba), losing to the eventual champs by 1 run, avenging an earlier loss to Canada, and they did all of this with ace Rong-Hao Hsieh having perhaps the worst performance in his young career.
CPBL: Bears 4 - Lions 3: WP - Mike Johnson (15-0, 7.2 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 6 K's, 2 BB's) - game MVP (his 15 consecutive wins to open the season is a CPBL record) LP - Luther Hackman (1-1, 6 IP, 3 R - 1 ER, 9 H, 2 K's, 1 BB)
Bears lineup: CF Long-Yi Huang 1-5 SS Chih-Sheng Lin 1-5, RBI DH CFC 0-4 3B Chih-Wei Shih 2-4 2B Chih-Tsung Chiang 2-3, RBI LF Cheng-Yu Chung 2-4, RBI Lions lineup: LF Wu-Hsiung Pan 0-4 DH Lien-Hung Chen 1-3, 2B 3B Tilson Brito 2-4, 2B, RBI 1B KC Kao 1-4, 3B 2B Sen Yang 2-3, RBI C Chih-Kang Kao 1-2, RBI
T-Rex lineup: RF Ssu-Chi Chou 3-4, 2B SS Ming-Jen Kuo 2-3 1B Chia-Hsien Hsieh 1-3, RBI
World Junior Championships: Taiwan beat Mexico 1-0 on the strength of SP Chia-Liang Hung's CG shutout. Taiwan will get a chance tomorrow to lock up the 5th spot in the tourney against the winner of the Canada-Puerto Rico matchup. Box The gold medal game will feature a rematch of the 2006 championship game between the US and South Korea - South Korea prevailed in that game.
MILB: R - The GCL Indians lost 6-5. CH Chen was 1-3 and was able to gun down 2 out of 3 base runners. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox lost 10-8. CH Huang was 1-5 with a RBI while WY Lin earned the L (allowed 6 runs on 4 hits over 3 IP). Box
R - The GCL Tigers lost 2-1 in game 2 of a DH. CT Tang was 0-3. Box
R - The AZL Mariners are down 12-0 in the 5th. YW Chang has allowed 7 runs on 4 hits in 1 IP (1 K, 4 BB's). Box
A ss - Williamsport lost 10-0. YF Lin pitched 3 innings of relief, giving up 2 runs - 1 ER on 4 hits. Box
A - Asheville lost 12-7. SA Kuo was saddled with the loss after giving up 9 runs - 7 ER on 6 hits over 1.2 IP (1 K, 4 BB's). Box
A+ - Kinston won 6-4. SW Tseng threw 2 innings of middle relief and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits. Box
MLB: Given an opportunity to close out the game against the D-Backs, Kuo was unable to shut the door on the opposition. Kuo threw 1.1 innings, giving up 1 run on 1 hit. CH Park came in and relieved Kuo, picking up the save in the process. The Dodgers won 4-2. Box
World Junior Championships: The team lost in the quarterfinals to South Korea 5-4 on Friday. Min-Hao Tsai led the way for Taiwan; he was 2-3 with the lone XBH for his team and drove in 3 runs. Box The team is out of contention for a medal and will now play in the consolation bracket to determine their final seeding.*Edited
LP - Fu-Te Ni (4-9, 6.2 IP, 5 R - 2 ER, 11 H, 6 K's, 3 BB's)
Elephants lineup:
LF CYC 1-3, 2 BB's
RF Kuan-Jen Chen 3-5, RBI - game MVP
1B Chia Chia 0-1
DH Carlos Rivera 2-3, RBI
SS Sheng-Wei Wang 2-4, 2 2B's
1B Huai-Shan Chen 2-4 - off the bench
Whales lineup:
2B Yi-Min Wang 3-5, 2B
SS Chia-Yuan Chang 2-4, RBI
3B Wilton Veras 2-4, RBI
DH Cheng-Chi Huang 3-4, 2 2B's, RBI
LF Yeh 1-3, RBI
JULY PITCHING MVP HONORS: Wei-Lun Pan (Lions)
JULY OFFENSIVE MVP HONORS: Wu-Hsiung Pan (Lions)
MILB: R - The GCL Indians beat the Tigers 2-1. CH Chen was 1-3 while CT Tang was also 1-3. Box
R - The GCL Red Sox won 10-4. WY Lin earned a ND after allowing 4 runs (2 ER) on 8 hits over 4 IP - 6 K's, 0 BB's. CH Huang was 1-4. Box The Red Sox lost the second game to the Twins 4-1. CH Huang was 0-1 with 2 BB's while CC Chen was 0-3. Box
R - The GCL Braves lost 10-0. CE Hung threw 1.1 scoreless innings. Box
AA - Tulsa lost 8-7. CL Lo started but was pulled after allowing 3 runs on 7 hits (including 2 HR's) over 3 IP. He earned a ND. Box
AAA - Vegas won 5-4. CL Hu was 1-4 with a SB. Box *Updated
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