Come-From-Behind Win!

Mr. Clutch - Lin Driving in the GWRBI

The Best Fans in the World!

Gold Around Their Necks!

As Tsong mentioned in the comments section, the Taiwanese NT had their hands full with the Japanese NT. It took a 2 run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning to eek out a 8-7 win. Hong-Chih Kuo did not pitch for Taiwan. Starting in place of Kuo was Yomiuri Giants rookie Chien-Ming Chiang. Chiang was erratic in his 1.1 innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits. He also had 3 costly walks to go along with 1 WP and 2 K's.
So down 3-0 after 2 innings, Taiwan would score 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning: after C.H. Hsieh doubled, C.L. Hu would drive him in with a single. Hu would advance on an error and score the final run of the inning on a single by Yung-Chi Chen. Japan would tack on 2 more runs in the top of the 6th and 7th innings off of relievers Po-Hsuan Keng and Wei-Lun Pan to make the score 5-2. That set up the big inning in the bottom of the 7th for Taiwan. 3 consecutive singles loaded the bases for Chien-Ming Chang. A WP would allow the lead runner to score and the 2 other base runners to advance 90 feet. C.M. Chang would then drive in both base runners with a single to tie up the game at 5 all. After Yung-Chi Chen singled to advance Chang to 3rd base, C.F. Chen would hit a sac-fly to score Taiwan's 4th run of the inning to put Taiwan up 6-5.
In the top of the 8th, Sung-Wei Tseng came in to relieve Wei-Lun Pan. After inheriting a runner on base, Tseng would then later allow a HR to plate both runners and put Japan up 7-6. Taiwan would fail to score in the bottom of the 8th.
In the top of the 9th, Japan would threaten to score again off Tseng. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, Yung-Chi Chen would throw out a runner at the plate for a fielder's choice getting the 2nd out of the inning. Tseng would then allow his 2nd walk of the inning to load the bases before getting the final out of the inning on a lineout.
The bottom of the 9th would set up Chih-Sheng Lin's game-winning heroics. After C.M. Chang walked, Chin-Feng Chen finally got his first hit of the game as he doubled, advancing Chang to 3rd base. Next up, Lin would single driving in both Chang and Chen, giving Taiwan it's 3rd gold medal of the Asian Games!
Again, although it wasn't pretty, Taiwan's offense was clutch when it mattered. The pitching performance was disappointing, but I take my hat off to the Japanese team for a great showing and performance.

Recap
Box Score
PlayByPlay

The Agony of Defeat & The Joy of Victory...

ASIA
In Japan, the LA New Bears lost to the Fighters 1-0 in the championship game of the 2nd annual Konami Cup. Facing off against young phenom Yu Darvish, the Bears had no answers for the ace of the Fighter's pitching staff. Yu combined with 2 relievers to 2-hit the Bears offense. Chen and Lin were 0-6 with 4 K's between the 2 of them. Wen-Hsiung Hsu, typically a reliever for the Bears got the start and was very impressive in his starting role. Hsu, a WBC NT member, threw 6 scoreless innings, giving up only 3 hits. Although Bears reliever Anthony Fiore was tagged with the loss, the run he gave up in the 7th inning was unearned. Box Score
Despite the loss, the Bears showed that they are one of the elite professional teams in Asia. I'm sure that several members of the Bears team received positive scouting exposure during this tourney. Combined with the fact that the CPBL is having financial woes, I wouldn't be surprised if and when a few NPB teams come knocking on the doors of the Bear's front office/ management. In fact, Japanbaseballdaily.com reports that LA New Bears pitcher Yu-Wei Hsu, who did not make an appearance in the Konami Cup, has drawn interest from the Hanshin Tigers and Yakult Swallows.

NT

HR # 1

HR # 2

Mr. Grand Salami!

GW HR!

Ok, now for some good news. The Taiwanese NT defeated the South Korean representatives 9-7 in a 12 inning marathon at the Intercontinental Cup. With the victory Taiwan moves into a tie for 3rd place with the Netherlands at 2-2. Despite facing a young Korean team, it took 4 HR's and an impressive performance by reliever Wei-Lun Pan to pull out the victory. Ace En-Yu Lin started the game for Taiwan, pitching 4 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. Lin uncharacteristically walked 4 batters while K'ing only 1. He left the game in a 2 all deadlock - thanks to a first inning 2-run HR by Chia-Hsien Hsieh. Relievers C.L. Lo and C.C. Lee would then struggle and give up 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning alone, to put Taiwan in a hole at 6-2. Taiwan would then rally to take the lead by putting up 5 runs in the top of the 7th inning on the strength of 2 HR's - one by Chuang-Chin Wang and the second - a biggie - a grand slam by Yung-Chi Chen. Wei-Lun Pan pitched 7.1 innings of relief and despite giving up the tying run in the bottom of the 9th, earned the victory when Chien-Ming Chang cracked a 2-run HR in the top of the 12th for the difference in the ball game. Pan gave up only 3 hits to go along with 6 K's and 3 walks. Box Score
Taiwan gets the day off on Monday before resuming play on Tuesday against the Netherlands, Wed. against the Philippines, and Thursday against currently undefeated Cuba. Only the top 4 finishers will compete in the semifinals.
*Edited*

Bears Sweep!

SERIES MVP: Chin-Feng Chen
(.385 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI's, 2 SB's)

As BigD and Maos alluded to earlier, the LA New Bears claimed the CPBL crown by sweeping the President Lions on Wednesday. Although the final score was 7-3, the game was kept close thanks to a solid start from Lions star Wei-Lun Pan. Pan, who pitched into the 6th inning, found himself with a 3-0 lead heading into the 5th inning. The Bears would then start to chip away at the lead by scoring a run in the 5th before Chin-Feng Chen's 2 run bomb in the 6th inning would tie things up and ultimately knock Pan out of the game. The Bears would then go on to wrap up the series by putting up 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning for the final score.
Notable Game Stats:
Wei-Lun Pan 5.2IP 7H/3ER 4K's/1BB
Chin-Feng Chen 1-4 1HR 2RBI's
Chih-Sheng Lin 2-5 1R scored
Next up for the Bears - the Konami Cup - pitting the pro championship teams from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and an all-star team from China against one another. The K-Cup will take place in November, from the 9th to the 12th - coinciding with the Intercontinental Cup which will occur on Nov. 9th thru the 19th. I'm sure some roster adjustments will have to be made for the I-Cup as 5 NT members will be representing the Bears. Even though the NPB and KBO champs will be favored to repeat last year's 1-2 standing, you have to like the Bears chances this year. C.F. Chen is the great equalizer for the Bears - make a mistake and he'll make you pay - he also has a great track record against some of the better professional pitchers in the NPB and KBO.
In previewing possible opponents for the Bears, here's a brief rundown on the possible representatives from the KBO (Samsung up 2-1 in the series) and NPB (Fighters up 3-1 in the series).

AFL
Hu was 0-3 as Mesa lost 7-5 today. Box

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.