Yang on a Tear...

NPB:

C.S. Yang faced off against Si-Yo Wu in a nigun battle between the Fighters and Marines. In a game shortened because of rain, the Fighters prevailed 5-2. Yang continues to impress as he was 2-4 with 2 RBI's on the night. Wu tossed the first 3.2 innings for the Marines and was not impressive, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits. Wu, who clocked 88 mph on his fastball, managed to K Yang his first time up at the plate. However Yang would have the last laugh, as he would crack 2 hits and drive in the runs against Wu.

photos courtesy of libertytimes

CPBL:
Bulls 12 - Cobras 2: Game MVP went to Tarzan (Chang) who was 3-5 with 3 RBI's/His teammate Kuo-Long Hsu was also 3-5 with 3 RBI's.
Lions 9 - Whales 8: CFC's older bro Lien-Hung Chen was Game MVP - despite a 1-5 night, his lone hit was key as he crushed a game-winning 3 run HR in the 8th inning/The Whales Chien-Wei Chen was 2-3 with a HR and 3 RBI's.

Joining the Marines...

The Lotte Marines officially announced the signing of LA New Bears Pitcher Si-Yo Wu to a 2 year deal on Friday. Wu received a reported 40 million yen (~$344,000 US) sign on bonus. With the migration of top NPB players to the US, the NPB will be forced to look elsewhere to sign "cheap" foreign talent. Expect the raid on top Taiwanese players in the CPBL to continue in the future.

News Updates....

Several injuries to report:

1)AppleDaily reports that Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen underwent surgery on Monday in Japan for his throwing elbow. Chen saw only limited action this year with the Dragons nigun team before getting shut down- appearing in 9 games - with 34.1 IP, 1 Win, 3 Losses, and a 4.98 ERA. What can I say - another Taiwanese casualty in the NPB - Grrr!
Hopefully the 21 year old will be able to bounce back quickly after his surgery.

2)En-Yu Lin, who struggled against South Korea on Sunday, has been experiencing discomfort in his throwing elbow and is seeking medical attention. Lin, one of the aces of the NT staff when healthy, stated that there is a high probability that he will not participate in the Asian Games in December.

3)Si-Yo Wu, who was scouted heavily by NPB scouts - particularly the Chiba Lotte Marines during the Konami Cup, injured his neck while pitching against the Samsung Lions. Wu is also reported to be a big ?-mark for the Asian Games roster at this point. The other 2 Taiwanese players who received considerable attention from NPB scouts during the Konami Cup were sluggers Chin-Feng Chen and Chih-Sheng Lin. The LA New Bears office is refuting the rumor that pitcher Yu-Wei Hsu is being considered by the NPB - citing it as just hearsay only.

With the injuries to Wu and Lin, the NT pitching depth for the Asian Game is looking awful thin. With Kuo and Chiang as the aces of the staff, the team will need good performances from S.W. Tseng, W.L. Pan, and C.F. Yang. Also Chin-Feng Chen is reporting that he does not want to participate in the Asian Games secondary to being overly fatigued and wanting to give the younger guys a shot on the international stage.

Other News:

Chien-Fu Yang who was outstanding in his ND versus Japan, will get the start tomorrow versus the Netherlands in the I-Cup. A win is crucial as it would give Taiwan a little more breathing room in placing in the top 4.

Reversal of Fortune!

A day after getting our hearts broken by the Japanese representatives, the LA New Bears and the NT both picked up victories today against very good opponents.

The Bears defeated the KBO champs - the Samsung Lions 3-2. Si-Yo Wu pitched well enough to keep things close. Wu pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs - via a 2 run shot in the 4th, to go along with 4 K's and 3 walks. Offensively, the big guns came through for the CPBL champs. Chin-Feng Chen was instrumental in the win as he had a huge 2 run single in the bottom of the 4th to tie things up. Chen was 2-3 on the day. Fellow NT member - Chih-Sheng Lin would then hit the game winning HR in the bottom of the 6th to complete the scoring. Lin was also 2-3. The Korean pitching staff only allowed 5 hits the entire game, so to say that Chen and Lin were clutch would be an understatement. Box Score
The Bears will now get their rematch against the NPB champs tomorrow. Who the Bears have left to start against the Fighters is anyone's guess - since the Bears top 2 starters Rayborn and Wu have both started recently. Hopefully, Chen and Lin can continue their slugging ways and make things interesting.


In Intercontinental Cup action, the Taiwanese NT defeated a young but talented Australian squad 4-2. Down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 8th, Yung-Chi Chen and Yi-Chuan Lin came up with clutch hits in the 8th to drive in 4 runs between the two of them. The Australian squad would tack on another run in the 9th, but it was too little too late. Starting pitcher Sung-Wei Tseng threw a gutsy game, allowing 1 run on 4 hits through 7 innings - good enough to keep things close for the 8th inning rally. Box Score
Traditional rival South Korea will face off against our boys tomorrow.

CPBL Championships Set to Kickoff....

Tomorrow, the 21st. Two of the best domestic pitchers not named En-Yu Lin will be matched up against one another in the opening game. The Bears will match Si-Yo WuWU

against the Lion's Wei-Lun Pan.PAN

The two pitchers have some history together and were once high school teammates. Read more here.

AFL
Hu was 0-4 with a walk and a run scored as Mesa won 6-3. Box

A new entry from Hu's player journal.