It's All Hypothetical But....

There is a mathematical chance that if Taiwan wins out at the Little League Asian Regionals, it could still find itself out of the championship game should Korea beat Japan on Thursday
(assuming that all 3 teams finish with a 4-1 record). Taiwan won today against Hong Kong, but only by a 5-1 margin. Based on the Runs for - Runs against difference, Taiwan needs to start scoring and in a hurry. The also need to shut down their last 2 opponents - China and Thailand.
Last year, at the Asian regionals, all three powerhouses ended up beating each other. So it's possible that this scenario repeats itself this year. The only thing Taiwan can do is to win out and win big and hope that Japan beats Korea.

Amateur News:
The CT NT lost a close, close game to the Cuban NT 2-1 in Holland. Clutching on to a 1-0 lead heading into the 8th inning, Taiwan seemed poised to beat Cuba. In my lifetime, that is something I've never seen - a win over Cuba. However, Cuba rallied in the 8th and 9th innings, with some clutch hitting to waste a valiant effort by CT starting pitcher Chien-Fu Chen. Chen pitched 8 innings, giving up 7 hits, and only 1 run. Box/PlaybyPlay
CT's next game is tomorrow vs. nemesis China.

Japan:
In his first game after the NPB All-Star break, Lin struck out in a pinch hit appearance. Hanshin lost 7-2. Box

Minors:
Hu was 1-4, but his team lost 4-2. Box

Wisconsin won in extra innings, as Lo was 1-4 with a sac-fly RBI. Box

Lowell got shelled 13-1. Yeh gave up 3 of the runs in 1 IP. He also managed to record all of his outs via strikeouts. Box

Miscellanous:
Riding the roller coaster - Well, an update on Tsao from MLB.com - it seems as if Tsao's headed in the right direction with 2 good bullpen sessions recently. He threw another session today to determine his fate for the near future.

The bobblehead of Wang that Staten Island is giving away on Thursday gives me the creeps - The bobblehead will feature life-like jet black hair on the doll. But, I'm sure the limited edition item will fetch a pretty penny on Ebay. Check pics here and here.

On to Monterey!!!

Chinese Taipei will represent Asia in the 2006 Bronco World Series (11-12 year olds). The World Series will take place August 3rd through the 8th in beautiful Monterey, CA. Chinese Taipei will seek to avenge last year's loss to Puerto Rico in the championship game. In the Asian regional, Chinese Taipei was a perfect 4-0, as it steamrolled the competition: 17-3 vs. the Philippines, 13-2 vs. Taipei City, 15-1 vs. Hong Kong, and 15-0 vs. Japan. Taipei City finished as the runner up, losing only to Chinese Taipei. Keep an eye out for Chen-Long Chen, the star P/IF for the Chinese Taipei team.

In the Asian regional tourney for the Little League World Series, Chinese Taipei split it's two toughest games vs. Japan and South Korea. CT lost 7-0 to Japan and then beat South Korea 10-4. CT is currently holding down the #2 spot and if it can win it's remaining 3 games vs. Hong Kong, Thailand, and China, should secure a spot in the championship game on Saturday, pitting the #1 and #2 teams in the tourney.

MINORS:
Jacksonville lost 3-1. Hu was 1-4 and drove in the only run of the game for his team. Box

Dunedin lost 12-9. Keng pitched 1 inning, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, with 0 K's and 1 walk. Box

Wisconsin lost 9-4. Lo managed to go 1-3, with 2 runs scored and a walk. Box

In the GCL, the Phillies won in extra innings, making Y.F. Lin a two-time winner. Lin pitched the last 3 innings, giving up 1 hit, 0 runs, on 2 walks and 3 K's. Box
In other GCL action, the Red Sox played a doubleheader. In the first game, Chiang DNP. Huang started at 3B and was 0-2 with a walk. Box In the second game, Huang DNP. Chiang was 0-3 with a run scored. Box

MAJORS:
Wang will start Friday vs. the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is set to pitch against Tim Corcoran (4-1, 3.09 ERA) Wang has already faced Tampa Bay twice this season and has only given up 3 earned runs in 15.1 IP. Let's hope the trend continues Friday.

Sunday Rundown...

Over in Holland, the Dutch NT beat Taiwan 4-1. Team ace, Sung-Wei Tseng started for Taiwan and kept the team in the game. He pitched 7 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 run, and K'd 5 while walking 3. The starting pitcher for the Netherlands - Rob Cordemans, who went 6 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 run, and K'ing 7, was equally impressive. Check out the box score here. Game photos here. Taiwan's next game is on Tuesday against tourney favorite Cuba.

MINORS:
C.L. Lo is starting for Modesto tonight in search of his 8th win of the season. He finds himself down 1-0 early in the game. Follow game here. Box

Lansing won 4-0. Cheng performed superbly and picked up his 8th win of the season. Cheng pitched 6 scoreless innings, giving up only 3 hits, with 8 K's and 1 walk. Box

Wisconsin lost in extra innings 2-1. Lo was 1-5 with the only extra base hit of the game for Wisconsin and drove in the only run as well. Lo also stole his 8th base of the season for Wisconsin. Box

ALASKA:
Chu was 1-3 as his team won 4-1. Box

MISCELLANEOUS:
Chien-Ming Wang's number 41 will be retired by the Staten Island Yankees on Thursday. Read more here.

The Asian regional to determine the qualifier for the Little League World Series begins today in Hong Kong. Taiwan will be competing against teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and China. The tourney will end on the 29th. Taiwan faces it's two toughest competitors right off the bat. Check the schedule here.

In the Asian qualifying regional for the Bronco Division of Pony Baseball, Chinese Taipei has taken control of the driver's seat with a 13-2 win vs. Taipei City and a 15-1 win over Hong Kong on Sunday. Chinese Taipei plays Japan tomorrow and if they win, will go on to represent Asia in the Bronco Baseball World Series.

TaipeiTimes coverage of yesterday's CPBL All-Star Game.
*added 7/23/06

Eleven and Counting....

Well, Chien-Ming Wang won his 11th game of the season to match Mike Mussina for the club lead in that department. However, Wang's victory was indebted to his offense and bullpen for coming from behind and then holding on to the lead to pull out the victory. Wang lasted 6 innings, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs - all earned, with 1 K and 1 walk; he didn't have his best stuff tonight. He was actually outpitched by Blue Jay starter Ted Lilly who also went 6 innings, but only gave up 4 hits, 3 runs, with 8 K's and 2 walks. After the 6th inning, Wang's night was over and he left the game with his team in a 4-3 deficit. In the top of the 7th, the Yankees offense came to life against the Toronto relievers, and scored 2 runs. The Yank's relievers then did a magnificent job of holding the lead for Wang to secure his eleventh win. Box/Wrap

MINORS:
Jacksonville lost 8-5. Hu was 1-4 with a double and a RBI. Box

DH'ing for Everett tonight, Wu is currently 1-2 in the 4th inning. Box/Game Log

ALASKA:
The Panners find themselves down 2-0 early. Follow how Chu is doing here.

In other ABL news, Po-Yu Lin and Cheng-Lung Luo have returned home to Taiwan following a short stint with the Anchorage Bucs. You can check out their final stats here.


CPBL:
The CPBL All-Star Game took place today. The North and South Squads played to a 2-2 nine inning tie. Game MVP honors went to Chin-Feng Chen's older brother - Lien-Hung Chen, who was 2-2 with a run scored.

Sortable Stats for a few of the players:
South Squad
Chin-Feng Chen was 1-3
Tai-Shan Chang was 1-3 with a RBI
Chih-Sheng Lin was 1-3
Wei-Lun Pan pitched 2 innings, gave up 4 hits, K'd 2 hitters, and allowed 2 runs
Chien-Fu Yang pitched 2 innings, allowed 1 hit, K'd 1, with 0 runs
North Squad
Chia-Hsien Hsieh was 2-4 with a RBI and a run scored
Chih-Yuan Chen was 0-2 with a run scored
En-Yu Lin pitched 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, with 3 K's, and 0 runs allowed

CT NT ROSTER...

Here is the lineup for the team playing in Holland right now. The same team will also represent Taiwan in the World University Championships - although 2 kids will get cut to reach the 22 man roster cutoff. This list varies slightly from the NT that played in the US a few weeks earlier.

PITCHERS:
1)Hung-Wen Chen 20
2)Chia-Wei Lin 19 (L)
3)Chien-Fu Chen 21 (L)
4)Ko-Chien Lin 20
5)Chia-Chun Tang 21 (L)
6)Ching-Ming Wang 20
7)Chia-Jen Lo 20
8)Sung-Wei Tseng 21
9)Chen-Chang Lee 19
10)Cheng-Yang Chen 21
11)Wei-Jen Cheng 20

CATCHERS:
1)Yi-Wei Lee 22
2)Kuan-Yi Yang 21
3)Hung-Yu Lin 20

INFIELDERS:
1)Fu-Jen Shen 22
2)Chih-Hsiang Lin 19 (L)
3)Han Lin 21
4)Sheng-Wei Wang 22
5)Hsien-Hsien Yang 18

OUTFIELDERS:
1)Chun-Yu Kuo 22
2)Chih-Yao Chan 23 (L)
3)Chen-Yu Chung 21
4)Chia-Hui Wu 22
5)Ken-Wei Lin 20

*(L) -Lefty

MISCELLANEOUS:
Good news on Yung-Chi Chen's shoulder injury; the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder (left) and has been diagnosed as a muscle strain only. He will be out 10 -14 days.

The Asian Regionals for the Bronco Division(11-12 year olds) of Pony Baseball is underway. Taiwan has two team representatives: Chinese Taipei and Taipei City. Both teams won their opening game: CT beat the Philippines 17-3, while Taipei City won vs. Hong Kong 24-0. The other team competing for the right to go to the US is Japan. The games will continue through Monday in a round-robin format with the winner declared by best record - or if in event of a tie - determined by runs scored-allowed differential.

Chen Out with Injury...

Thanks to Anonymous for the sweet banner!

MINORS:

During last night's game against Frisco, Chen partially dislocated his shoulder when he slid awkwardly into second during a steal attempt. Chen's injury is listed as day-to-day. He was not in the lineup for tonight's game.

Hong-Chih Kuo started again tonight for Vegas. Kuo pitched ok, lasting 2.2 innings. Despite only giving up 3 hits, Kuo was charged with 3 earned runs. In the third inning, after 2 runners reached base on a walk and a double sandwiched around 2 K's, Kuo was pulled. His reliever then gave up a double to plate both inherited runners on base. Final line: 2.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 K's, 1 BB. If the score holds up, Kuo is in line for the loss. Box/Log

Hu was 1-4 with a walk and a key RBI to tie the game in extra innings as Jacksonville won 3-2 in 13 innings. Box

Keng pitched one perfect scoreless inning in relief. His team won 1-0. Box

Lo was 1-5 with 3K's, a run scored, and his 7th SB as his team rallied to win 6-5. Box

The Red Sox lost to the Reds in the GCL; Chiang DNP, Huang was 0-3 while committing his first error of the season. Lin pitched 3 innings in relief, gave up 3 hits, 1 run, with 1 walk and 0 K's. Box

ALASKA:
Chu is in action tonight. Follow the game here.

AMATEUR NEWS:
Playing in the Honkbalweek Tournament, the Taiwanese NT composed strictly of college players, beat a US team composed of NWAACC All-Star players 4-1. Check here for box score and here for photos. The current NT roster will make up the team that will travel in early August to the World University Championships in Cuba. Taiwan's next game is Sunday versus the host country's NT.

Thursday Roundup...

AA
Hu was 0-4 in his team's 6-1 loss today. Box

Chen was 1-1, before leaving the game. Box

A
Lo was 0-4, as his team was on the losing end of a pitcher's duel. Box

Yeh pitched the 9th inning and gave up 2 hits and 1 run - it was unearned. Box

R
The Red Sox won in the GCL 3-2. However both Chiang and Huang were 0-3, while Chiang committed his 6th error of the season. Box

Alaska
Chu was 1-4 with 2 runs scored and a SB. Meanwhile Chia-Yi Mai won his second game of the season for the Panners as he pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, with 2 walks and 7 K's. Box

Following in the footsteps of Lin and Yang...

Top Prospect:
Yi-Hao Lin

Talking to a friend the other day, I was amazed to learn that each year a number of top Taiwanese middle school/high school prospects go on to Japan to play HS baseball there. The amazing part of the story is the fact that of all the kids who've gone over to Japan, only two have panned out: Wei-Chu Lin of the Hanshin Tigers and Chung-Shou Yang of the Nippon Fighters - and both guys are positional players (OF and IF). None of the Taiwanese pitchers have ever panned out. Well, Yi-Hao Lin, a 15 year old righty, will try to change all of that. Lin, who throws easily in the 90 to 93 mph range already, will attend HS in Japan. Lin has a contract with the Yomiuri Giants, so in the event Lin is successful, he will end up in the NPB. The negotiations on Lin's behalf were assisted by Lin's junior high school coach, Wu-Hsiung Huang and the WBC NT coach Hwa-Wei Lin. The best compliment paid by my friend to Lin is the fact that Lin's raw ability at his age is already better than both ML's Wang and Tsao were at the same age. Lin will represent Taiwan's under 16 National Youth Team that will play in Indonesia and compete for the title of Asia's finest in September.

*edited 7/20/06

Chung-Shou Yang at the All-Star Break...

Yang(R) pictured with all-star teammate Kawasima

The Pacific League was matched up against the Central League in the Minor League All-Star Game today. Representing the Pacific League with the Nippon Ham Fighters was Chung-Shou Yang. Normally a SS for his minor league team, Yang played 3B and was slotted 5th in the Pacific League lineup. The Central League ended up winning the game 8-4. Yang was 0-3 with 1 K. Yang's older brother, Y.H. Yang, who was also selected to the Minor League All-Star Game, DNP due to injury.

Here's a look at Yang's numbers through the All-Star Break:
213 AB's
56 hits
.263 BA
24 runs scored
6 doubles
0 triples
7 HR's
21 RBI's
4 SB
55K's
28walks

Those numbers aren't too shabby for a 19 year old playing against older competition in the minors.

Wed. Scoreboard...

Minors:
AA - Jacksonville won 9-1. Hu was 1-4 with a walk and a run scored. Box
San Antonio blanked Frisco 11-0. Chen was 2-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Box

Alaska:
Chu is currently 0-2 as his team is losing 4-1 heading into the 6th inning. The competition that Chu is facing in the ABL is no joke. Read more about the ABL here.

ML news:
Chien-Ming Wang's next start will be Sat. against former Yankee and current Blue Jay Ted Lilly (9-8 3.86 ERA). Should be a pretty good matchup.

Misc:
PI with a blurb on Kuo-Hui Lo - check out the left hand column.

*Updated
Youtube videos of Chen's latest HR spree.
Videos of Chen's 3 HR game from July 12th: HR #1 HR #2 HR#3
Chen's 14th HR of the season - July 18th.

Chen hits HR #14!

Chin-Feng Chen is as hot as can be. After a slow start for Chen in the CPBL - while recovering from an offseason injury, Chen has turned it into high gear lately by hitting his 14th HR of the season today to tie Chang of the Bulls for the league lead.

In other news, the Dodger's GM Ned Colletti mentioned that Kuo's recent start in Vegas wasn't an attempt to convert him into a starter, but rather to give him some additional innings to work out his control issues.

Chiang Cracks 1st Pro HR....

Chiang(R) with older bro who plays for the LA New Bears

In the first game of a GCL doubleheader for the Red Sox, Chiang and Huang led the way by driving in 3 of the 5 runs scored by the Sox. The Sox won 5-2. Chiang hit his first career pro HR, and was 2-3 with a double, a RBI and 2 runs scored. Chiang did commit his 5th error of the season though. Huang was 1-3 with a double that drove in 2 runs. Box
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Red Sox lost a close one 6-5. Chiang DNP, while Huang made an appearance late in the game as a defensive substitution in RF. Lin on the other hand, entered the game in the 6th inning in a 4-4 tie. However, Lin walked one, gave up 2 hits and 2 runs, of which only 1 was earned. Lin was charged with the loss, the first of his professional career. Box

Everett lost 8-5. Wu, playing catcher, was 2-4 with a walk, 2 runs scored, and a RBI. Box

Cheng was the hard-luck loser tonight as Lansing fell 1-0. Cheng took his 5th loss of the season, going 6 innings, giving up only 3 hits and 1 run. He did however, walk 4 batters to go along with 2 K's. Box

Wisconsin fell 7-2. Lo, hitting 3rd in the lineup, was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. Lo also collected another OF assist as he helped gun down a base runner at 3B. Box

Don't write off Ching-Lung Lo just yet; Lo pitched another good game tonight, going 6 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run. He only allowed 1 walk and K'd 7 hitters. However, his relievers blew the lead and Lo got a ND. Box

Jacksonville won big, 11-1. Hu was 3-5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Box

Chen's Missions also won, 5-4 despite being outhit 14-6. Chen was 2-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored, a RBI, and his 2nd SB at the AA level. Box

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good night as a whole for our boys.

Minor League Recap...

Monday Results:
Keng bounced back from a rash of rather forgettable appearances with 2 scoreless innings, in which he gave up 1 hit, with 1 walk and 2 K's. Box

Lo was 0-4 with a run scored, 1 walk, and 2 stolen bases as his team won in 12 innings, 2-1. Box

TJ Yeh picked up his first win of the season as he duplicated Keng's performance with 2 scoreless innings in relief, giving up 1 hit, with 1 walk and 2 K's. Box

Wu is currently 0-2 with a walk in the 7th inning. Follow game action here. Box

Y.F. Lin won his first game of the season for the GCL Phillies, but not without giving up some runs. Lin pitched 2.1 innings in relief, giving up 5 hits - 4 runs, with 0 walks and 4 K's. Box

Alaska:
Chu is currently 1-2 with a SB as the Panners face off against the Bucs. Box/Log

Native American Apparel......

S.W. Tseng(L) C.E. Hong(R)

Well, here's our first good look at Hong (pictured along with Tseng), the recent signee for the Braves. The photos were taken during an official joint press announcement about their signings with ML clubs. Man, the Indians and Braves official color and mascot are just too eerily similar.

Wang Wins #10!

GAMEDAY ACTION

Wang helped pitch the Yankees to their 4th consecutive victory Monday night. Wang lasted 7 innings, giving up 7 hits and 2 runs. Despite A-Rod's erratic play in the field - 3 errors, Wang had his sinker working for most of the game, inducing 14 ground outs. Wang also lowered his ERA to 3.92. Box/Recap

2006 Junior NT Roster Announced...

Pitcher Kai-Wen Cheng

Here are the 18 young men selected to represent Taiwan in September at the 22nd "AAA" Junior World Baseball Championships in Cuba.

Pitchers:
1)Yu-Hsun Chen
2)Kai-Wen Cheng - on the 2004 and 2005 junior NT
3)Chih-Lung Huang
4)Chun-Lin Chen - on the 2005 junior NT/voted top RHP at 2005 Asian Junior Championships
5)Chen-Yu Hong
6)Chun-Hsiu Chen
7)Hung-Cheng Lai - on 2005 junior NT

Catchers:
1)Chia-Chu Chen
2)Chun-Chieh Wang

Infielders:
1)Chien-Ming Su
2)Shih-Wei Chen
3)Yan-Wen Kuo
4)Wei-Chih Chen
5)Po-Ting Hsiao - on the 2005 youth NT

Outfielders:
1)Yu-Hsin Chu
2)Shu-Huan Wang
3)Che-Hsuan Lin
4)Wang-Wei Lin - on the 2004 and 2005 junior NT

In Search of #10....

Chien-Ming Wang will take the hill tomorrow against the Seattle Mariners. His opponent on the mound will be Jarrod Washburn (4-9, 4.58 ERA). Wang will attempt to join his teammates - R.J. and the "Moose" in the 10+ win club. Also, we'll get the opportunity to see what the WBC failed to showcase for us....the best pitcher in Taiwan face off against two of Japan's finest in Ichiro and Johjima.

JAPAN:
Lin was 1-2 with a double coming off the bench for the Tigers. His club lost 4-2. Box

MINORS:
The Dodger's efforts to convert Kuo back into a starter was evident in Kuo's start for Vegas today. Unfortunately, Kuo struggled with his command as he lasted only 2.2 innings, giving up 4 hits, 4 runs - 3 earned (2 via a HR), with only 1 K and 3 walks. Kuo was also charged with an error - which led to the unearned run. Kuo took the loss for Vegas. Box

Jacksonville won 5-2 as Hu was 0-2 coming off the bench. Box

San Antonio blanked Springfield 7-0. Chen blasted his third HR for the Missions, as he was 1-4 with a RBI and a walk. Box

A night after getting drubbed, Wisconsin returned the favor by crushing Quad Cities 16-7. Lo was 2-4 with a double, 3 runs scored, 2 walks, and his 4th SB. Box

Everett lost 7-3. Wu was 0-4 as the DH. Box

ALASKA:
Chu played in a doubleheader and was a combined 1-8, with a SB. Box 1 Box 2

Chen hits #2....

MINORS
Y.C. Chen hit his second HR for San Antonio tonight. He was 1-4 with a HR and 2 RBI's. That was pretty much all the offense the Missions could muster against the Cardinals, as they managed only 2 hits the entire game. The Missions lost 4-2. Box

Hu was 0-4 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI. Jacksonville won 7-3. Box

Youtube has a pretty cool video of Hu at the All-Star weekend festivities. His English is pretty good. There's also a few brief appearances by Chen.

Dunedin won 10-9. Keng pitched 2 innings of relief and gave up 4 hits, 2 runs, with a HR allowed. His ERA after tonight - 15.43. Box

Wisconsin got crushed 14-2. Lo managed to go 1-4 with a SB. Box

The GCL Red Sox won 4-3. Chiang was 2-4. Huang was 1-3 with a double and a RBI. Box

JAPAN
Hanshin won 2-1. Lin made another pinch hit appearance, grounding out in his only AB. Box

ALASKA
Follow how Chu is faring tonight as his Panners face off against the Bucs. Link

Friday News....

SCOREBOARD
Minors:
Hu jacked his second HR of the season as he had a great night at the plate, leading his team to a 6-3 win. Hu was 4-5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI's. Box

San Antonio won 5-2, as Chen was 1-4 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Box

Lo was 1-4 as his team lost 4-2. Box

The GCL Red Sox routed the Reds 14-5. However Chiang and Huang DNP. Lin made another appearance as he went 2 innings, gave up 3 hits, 2 runs - 1 earned, with 1 walk and 1 K. Box


NEWS
Chin-Hui Tsao injury/recovery update here.

JChurch's Prospect Insider with some prospect rankings of Chen and Lo in the Mariners farm system: 1 2 3

News on the Haarlem Baseball Week Tournament going on in Holland July 21st to the 30th: Taiwan's NT will face off against the NT of The Netherlands, China, and Cuba. There will also be representatives from the USA and Japan. More on the participating teams here.
A big thank you to Cor for passing on the link!

Today's Rundown....

Japan:
Lin made an appearance in the 9th inning, but grounded out in his only at-bat. Box

Minors:
Kuo pitched the 9th inning for Vegas and K'd one. Box

Jacksonville won 10-9, as Hu was 1-4 with 2 RBI's. Box

San Antonio also won a nail-biter 7-6, as Chen was 1-5 with a double. Box

Lo was 1-3 for Wisconsin. He also scored 2 runs. Box

Despite Lansing's loss tonight, Cheng was on the recipient's end of a no-decision. Cheng started the first 5 innings, gave up 5 hits, 3 runs, while K'ing 4, walking 3, and giving up 1 roundtripper. Box

Everett won 5-4, as Wu was behind the plate tonight. Despite committing an error on a pickoff attempt, Wu was 2-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Box

The Red Sox won 2-1 in one doubleheader. Huang was 0-1 with a walk. Box
In the other half of a twinbill, Chiang was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and a RBI. His team won 10-2. Box

Alaska:
The Panners lost 5-1. Chu was 1-5 and stole his first base of the season. Box
Chu leads the club with a .366 average and is second in RBI's with 19.