It’s time to look back on week 14 played between Tuesday 30th June and Sunday 5th July. A week in which one team made big strides towards the first phase title.

Brothers v Monkeys – Tues 30th June, Wed 1st July in Taoyuan

Tuesday’s game saw two young Taiwanese pitchers Liao Yi Zhong and Weng Wei Chun go head to head. With the score 3-2 Monkeys after 5, it was the home team who jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the 6th. Liao Chien Fu hit a 2 RBI double and a Kuo Yun Wen sac fly got those three runs in the 6th. Liao would hit a home run in the 8th as the Monkeys got a game back on Brothers. Final score: Brothers 2 Monkeys 7.

Wednesday’s game was a shock, a cataclysmic bombshell. Brothers put forward Jose DePaula against Monkeys Lisalverto Bonila. DePaula threw 7 very good innings, conceding a mere 2 hits and 4 walks, by this time the game was a blowout. 4 runs in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th and 5 in the 6th had Brothers 10-0 ahead. This lead  doubled in the 7th as they hit 10 to reach 20 which it would remain. 24 hits, 6 home runs and Chou Shi Chi, Su Chi Hung and Chen Tzu Hao all hit 4 RBIs. Every starting hitter made multiple hits. Just 2 Monkeys hits after the 7th as they made 3 errors. A horrible night for the Taoyuan team but a quite unbelievable one for the Taichung side. Final score: Brothers 20 Monkeys 0.

Guardians v Lions – Wed 1st and Thurs 2nd in Tainan.

Lions prospect Gu Lin Rui Yang made his first start of the season and pitched 5 giving up 6H and 1R. It was a comfortable win for the Lions who took a 3-1 lead in the 4th. The 5th saw a crazy sequence, An Ko HR, Wu Chieh Rui double, Chen Yung Chi HR, Pan Wu Hsiang HR. 7-1 up and the Lions lead was never threatened. A solitaru run back in the 6th. Final score: Guardians 2 Lions 7.

Chiang v Chiang on Thursday and it was Chiang Guo Hao who had the better of Chiang Chen Yen. 6 solid innings giving away 8H and just a single run put Fubon Guardians on the right track. By the time Chiang left they led 4-1. Wu Chieh Rui hit a 2 out bases loaded single to make the score 4-3 in the 7th but they couldn’t capitalise. No more score as it ended Guardians 4 Lions 3.

Brothers v Lions – Weekend series in Tainan.

Uni Lions dreadful form v CTBC Brothers continued with another sweep. Friday was a comfortable win for the visitors, a pair of 2 run homers in the 2nd and 3rd put them 4-0 up before Wu Chieh Rui hit a 2 run shot of his own to make it 4-2. Into the 4th and Huang Chun Sheng hit a solo shot and Chou Shi Chi’s fly ball brought 2 runners home to make it 7-2. Brothers would go on to record a straight forward win. Final score: Brothers 9 Lions 3.

Brothers ace Huang En Sih moved to 6-0 without another outstanding pitching display whilst his hitters did what they needed to. With the scores tied at 1-1, Brothers hit 4 runs in the 3rd off Roenicke to make it 5-1. Chen Yung Chi’s RBI got one back right away but a comeback was never likely. 2 more scored by the visitors in the 7th as it finished: Brothers 7 Lions 2.

That feeling oh ‘not again’ was prevalent on Sunday as Logan Darnell was ripped apart in the opening 2 as the away team jumped out to a 7-0 lead. The home side scored two unearned runs in the 3rd but Ariel Miranda always seemed in control of the game. The same old story as Brothers would increase their lead and take an 11-2 win. Brothers have now on 10 in a row against the Lions.

Monkeys v Guardians – Weekend series at Xinzhuang.

Rakuten Monkeys came back from the dead in a thrilling Friday encounter. Fubon Guardians knocked Ryan Carpenter out the game after 4 as they went 6-3 up after 4 innings then 8-3 after 5 having hit 4 home runs. Things changed rather dramatically… The Monkeys got a hold of the Guardians bullpen in the 6th scoring 3 then levelling in the 7th then going gung-ho with 5 in the 8th and finished it off with 2 in the 9th. They hit 3 home runs during this 12 run sequence in the final 4. The runs dried up for the hosts as they fell from 8-3 to a 15-8 defeat. On a side note, there was a run in every inning of this game, a very rare feat. Monkeys 15 Guardians 8.

This feat was repeated in Saturday’s game which saw Villenueva v Loree, neither of whom had particularly good starts. The first four were back and forth 2-0, 2-3, 3-3 before the Monkeys went 6-3 ahead in the 5th. It was the Guardians turn to score in the latter innings and they scored 1 an inning, tieing in the 8th and Fan Guo Chen’s hit a walk off fly in the 9th. A close game with runs in every inning. Monkeys 6-7 Guardians.

If you are expecting another game with runs in every inning, I’m sorry to disappoint you. That run ended in the 3rd with the game all knotted up at 1. In a battle of two Taiwanese pitchers Chen Shih Peng succeeded in beating Wang Yi Zheng. A pair of doubles put Fubon 3-1 ahead in the 4th only for the Monkeys to take a short lived lead with 3 runs of their own. Fan Guo Chen hit a 2 RBI triple and Kao Kuo Lin’s single pushed the advantage back to 2. Kao’s brother Kao Kuo Hui finished off the Monkeys in the 8th with a 3 run home run. The game ended Monkeys 4 Guardians 9.

Week 15 to come…

Welcome to the 13th CPBL weekly round-up as I look back at another fun week of baseball. Games played 23rd to 28th June.

Guardians v Monkeys – Tues and Wed in Taoyuan

On Tuesday the Monkeys gave a start to Lin Hua Ching, one of their starters who predominantly features in the 2nd team. He had command issues giving up 4 walks and 2 hits in his 3.1 innings, the Guardians scoring 4 runs. His replacement Hung Sheng Chin wasn’t any better, 9H and 5R over the next 2.2 as Fubon cruised into a 9-2 lead. Both sides would score twice more. Mike Loree had an easy night, 8H and 2R off his 7. Final score: Guardians 11 Monkeys 4

Wednesday’s game was settled by 7 but the Monkeys got the win. Bryan Woodall and Weng Wei Chun started well keeping the scores at 0 until the bottom of the 5th when Yu Meng Xu made an error to allow 3 Monkeys to score. Woodall exited after 6 having only given away 3 unearned runs. The Guardians scored in the 6th, 7th and 8th and were only 4-3 down going into the bottom of the 8th until Lin Yi Hao and Yang Bin imploded. The home side scored 6 runs as Yang allowed B2B homers to Lin Li and Liao Chien Fu. There was no stirring comeback as that was the end of the scoring. Final score: Guardians 3 Monkeys 10.

Lions v Brothers – Thursday in Taichung.

Neither Chiang Chen Yen nor Jose DePaula had had a no decision entering this game and it stayed that way. Wu Chieh Rui’s early double off De Paula brought home a Lions run but from there, it all went wrong. Brothers launched three balls over the wall in their 1st inning reply to surge 5-1 up. It only got worse as he conceded 2 more to break the league record for 5 in a game off one pitcher. It was 9-3 by the time he left and Brothers extended their lead to 12-3 after 5. At 13-3 there was a bit of a Lions rally but getting 10 runs was never likely, they got 3 in the 8th. Final score: Lions 6 Brothers 13.

Lions v Monkeys – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taoyuan.

Friday’s game saw Shih Tzu Chien face Lisalverto Bonila but neither had an impact on the game. Scores went back and forth in the opening 6, 2-1, 2-4, 5-4, 5-6 and both starters exited with the game in the balance. Uni Lions tied it in the 7th but yet again Huang Chun Yen took the loss in the bottom of the 8th, his 4th in 9 games although the two runs conceded were unearned due to an error… By Huang himself! Lions 6 Monkeys 8 was how it ended.

Saturday’s game was one of the most outrageous in the CPBL in recent years. Uni Lions have never been known for getting results in Taoyuan but this changed, massively. Two 4 ball walks by Elih Villanueva set the stage, Su Chih Chieh put the Lions ahead and Wu Chieh Rui walked to load the bases with 0 outs. The Lions would hit 6 and bat around. The lead became 10-0 after 3 with no pressure Lions starter Josh Roenicke. The home side got it as close as 11-5 then all hell broke loose as the Lions utter shredded the Monkeys lesser bullpen pitchers.  A further 10 runs would score in the final 3 as the visiting team made 26 hits in an insane 21-5 victory. Every Lions starting batter got a run, hit and RBI, except Chen Chong Ting who didn’t come home. Lin An Ko went 5-6 with 7RBI and 2 home runs. It was the first time in 7 years the Lions had had 20 and became the 21st side in league history to do so. Final score: Lions 21 Monkeys 5.

Sunday’s game should have been a tighter affair and it was. Logan Darnell v Wang Yi Zheng on the mound, Wang a pitcher the Lions have never liked facing but he would last just 3.2. 7 runs in the opening 4 made things easy for Darnell who has a very impressive start. Just 2 runs given away in 6.1 to give him his 1st ever quality start in Taiwan. Those 2 came off a Lin Hung Yu homer in the 4th. The Lions added 3 more in the 5th and 6th and recorded their 4th win in 5 trips to Taoyuan. Final score: Lions 10 Monkeys 2.

Guardians v Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun Taichung.

There were high scoring games in Taoyuan but that wasn’t true in Taichung as Brothers edged past the Guardians in all three games.

Friday’s game was decided early. Kao Hsiao Yi hit the only run for the Guardians,  homer off Lively in the first but Brothers fought back quickly. Chou Shi Chi and Chan Tzu Hsien RBIs put them 2-1 up and an unearned run in the 3rd made it 3-1. No further score. Final score Guardians 1 Brothers 3.

Saturday saw Brothers star Taiwanese pitcher Huang En Sih go 5-0 as he took on fellow youngster Chen Shih Peng. He conceded single homers in the 3rd and 5th but on both occasions his team hit 2 runs in reply off Chen, 3 of the 4 runs scored off home runs. Brothers scored again in the 6th off Chen to go 5 2 up. The sides exchanged runs in the 8th as the home side took a 6-3 win. Guardians 3 Brothers 6.

Loree v Miranda on Sunday and the experienced Loree fell to his 3rd defeat of the season. 1-1 after 1, Brothers went 2-1 up in the 2nd, Fubon went 3-2 in the 4th and the lead changed for the final time in the 5th. Chang Chih Hao and Su Chi Hung brought home runners back to back. No further score with the Guardians failing to get a man beyond 2nd. Final score: Guardians 3 Brothers 4.

That concludes week 13. Stay tuned for week 14.

Tom

I wasn’t very well two weeks ago and since then I’ve been busy. 5 Lions away games in 8 days and I’ve barely had time. This is a double headed round-up. We will start with the games between 9th and 14th June before moving onto 16th-21st. The 3rd round up will come after that.

Lions v Monkeys on Tues 10th and Wed 11th in Taoyuan.

Tuesday’s was close encounter with no runs in the opening 3 innings as Chiang Chen Yen faced Ryan Carpenter. The Lions took a 4-0 lead by the mid of the 5th only for the game to be pulled back to 4-3 after 6 with Kuo Yun Wen hitting a solo homer in the 6th.

Uni Lions scored in the 7th and 8th only to be pegged again in the 8th by Lan Yin Lun and Lin Hung Yu RBIs. Both sides would score again with the Lions holding onto wi. 7-6.

Wednesday’s game was a lot different, Liang Chia Jung’s 2nd inning homer put the Monkeys on top with Justin Nicolino keeping the visitors quiet. This changed after the Lions tied the game in 4th and established an 8-2 lead by the end of the 6th. The Monkeys never looked like coming back and Lin Tzu Chieh hit a 3 run homer to cap off a superb Lions performance making it 11-2. It finished Lions 11 Monkeys 2.

Guardians v Brothers on Wed 10th and Thurs 11th in Taichung.

Lin Yi Chuan’s first inning 3 run home run could have been the start of a good night for the Guardians but it wasn’t. Chou Shi Chi instantly came back with a 2 run shot and Brothers scored in the 2nd and 3rd to lead 4-3 after 3. Guardians retook the lead with a run in each the 5th and 6th but it was quickly through a 2 RBI shot by Chan Tzu Hsien. The visitors struggled with the bat making just 5 hits all off starter Jose DePaula. Guardians 5 Brothers 6 was how it ended.

Thursday’s game was another close one but the outcome was the same. Fubon scored 3 in the opening 3 but wouldn’t trouble the scorers again. Chou Shi Chi and Su Chi Hung both hit home runs to pull it back to 3-2 off Woodall but they’d be no score again until a Chang Chih Hao sac fly in the 7th. Chou hit his 3rd homer of the series in the bottom of the 8th and that would be the winning run. Final score: Guardians 3 Brothers 4.

Guardians v Lions – Fri, Sat, Sun in Tainan.

Fubon Guardians took yet another early lead but found themselves on the end of another defeat in Friday’s game. The visitors went 4-0 up going into the bottom of the 2nd but Chen Yung Chi and Su Chih Chieh hit B2B homers and the Lions ended the 2nd back at 4-4. Pan Wu Hsiang made it 7-4 with a 3 run blast in the 3rd and the Lions would go on to win comfortably. It finished: Guardians 4 Lions 10.

In a battle between Henry Sosa and Josh Roenicke the pitchers had the advantage until the 5th. With the game scoreless Lin Yu Ying hit a 2 run double and the Guardians lead. Sosa left after 6 giving up just 2 hits but once he was gone the Lions turned the game around. Su Chih Chieh’s fly led to an error and the game was pulled back to 2-1 in the 7th before Tang Chao Ting and Deng Chih Wei hit B2B RBIs to put the Lions ahead in the 8th. There was no further score and it ended Guardians 2 Lions 3.

Logan Darnell’s 4th start brought about a loss and Uni Lions missed out on the chance to sweep the week for the first time in 3 years. Darnell gave up a plethora of grounders and the Guardians went 5 up in the 2nd. The visitors made 6 in the 3rd but after that, things calmed down. The Lions had their usual struggles against Chen Shih Peng and managed only 2 runs in the 4th. They’d be no further score in this game. Guardians 6 Lions 2.

Brothers v Monkeys – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taoyuan

Lisalverto Bonila pitched threw 109 over 8 shutout innings as Rakuten Monkeys beat CTBC Brothers 4-0. All 4 runs came in the 4th with Chen Chun Hsiu hitting a 2 RBI homer and Liang Chia Jung pitching in with 2 RBI of his own.

Brothers scored 4 runs off Elih Villanueva in the opening frame and it was a lead that wouldn’t be chased down. Facing Mitch Lively the Monkeys always had a difficult task and were 5-1 down after 3 only to get back to 6-5 after 5. With Lively gone, the home side had to face the Brothers bullpen again no easy task and they managed just a couple of hits. Brothers in fact extended the lead in the top of 9th and it was sealed the victory. Final score: Brothers 8 Monkeys 5.

Sunday’s game looked like a cracker on paper and both Miranda and Carpenter pitched superbly. Miranda was unlucky, 2 of the 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st were unearned and these would be costly. Brothers Su Chi Hung got their only RBI in the 4th as Carpenter allowed 7 hits and 1 runoff 7 innings. Lin Hung Yu scored a 5th inning home run for the Monkeys and that was the end of the scoring. Final score: Brothers 1 Monkeys 4.

—That completes weekly round up 11—

Brothers v Guardians – Tues 17th and Wed 18th at Xinzhuang

5 Brothers hit home runs including 3 off Mike Loree as they smashed the Guardians. Kao Hsiao Yi and Kao Kuo Lin managed homers off their own for the Guardians with the score 5-0 and 5-1 but they were mere consolations. Loree went off after 7 with the score 6-2 Brothers and the bullpen allowed the runs to continue, conceding 5 more. It ended Brothers 11-2 Guardians.

If Guardians fans thought Tuesday was painful, Wednesday was worse. Shen Hao Wei hit a homer in the bottom of the 9th with the score 15-0 Brothers. The visitors systematically dismantled the home team who made 2 errors that allowed 4 unearned runs. 1 run in the 1st, 5 in the 4th and 4 in the 5th put Brothers up 10 after 6. Bryan Woodall returned to start the 7th and immediately conceded a home run, Woodall gone and Fan Yu Yu came in. Fan gave up 4 hits, 4 runs and 2 walks as he couldn’t even complete the inning. No further score until the aforementioned Shen Hao Wei homer. It ended Brothers 15 Guardians 1

Monkeys v Lions – Wed 18th and Thurs 19th in Tainan

All the scoring was done early in this one with Chiang Chen Yen giving up 3 home runs Lan Yin Lun hit a 2 run shot and Yang Yao Hsun single as Monkeys went 3 up in the 2nd. Lin Li hit a solo shot in the 3rd and a Lan Yin Lun double made it 5-0 by the end of the inning. They’d be resistance, Lions loading the bases in the bottom of the 3rd and Wu Chieh Rui brought home a run but also got an out too. Lin Yu Le’s 2 run home run made it 5-3 but they’d be no further scoring. 4 and half blank innings followed and so the game finished Monkeys 5 Lions 3.

On Thursday two youngsters, Weng Wei Chun and Shih Tzu Chien started with 1 clear winner. Weng was battered by the Lions who hit 9 runs in the first 4 including two home runs to Su Chih Chieh. Of course the Monkeys would fight back. Chen Chen Wei and Yang Yao Hsun went B2B in the 5th and Chu Yu Hsien hit an RBI later in that inning. Chen hit another homer in the 6th and the Monkeys would score in the 7th too. With the visitors creeping back into it, Chen Chieh Hsien hit a rare home run and Uni Lions saw out the game. Final score: Monkeys 5 Lions 10.

Lions v Guardians – Fri, Sat, Sun at Xinzhuang.

In Friday’s game Fubon Guardians edged a close encounter in the battle between Ryan Feierabend and Henry Sosa. The hosts scored regularly to lead 5-2 after 4 before two runs in the 6th made it 5-4. Uni Lions leveled in the 9th only for Kao Kuo Hui to hit a two out walk off shot. Final score: Lions 5 Guardians 6.

Saturday was a little different as Josh Roenicke pitched 7 shutout innings and the Lions offense hit 11 runs in that time. Fubon scored 4 off the out of form Chiu Hao Chun but the visitors also managed 2 more runs of their own. 6 homers on the night for the Lions. Final score: Lions 13 Guardians 4.

It was nearly the same scoreline on Sunday although this time Fubon scored their runs early. Kao Kuo Hui hit a 2 run shot in the 1st but the Lions went ahead very briefly in the 4th with 3 runs, only for Fubon to reply instantaneously with 3 of their own. From the end of the 4th on, the Lions dominated with 10 runs spread across the 5th and 8th. Lin An Ko went 5 for 5 with 6 RBI and 2 homers. Fubon got late consolation but it finished Lions 13 Guardians 6.

Monkeys v Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taichung

Bonila v Lively on the mound and we got the pitching battle we expected. 2-2 after 5, Bonila pitched 7 and Lively 8 with the latter conceding a 3rd run in the 8th. The Monkeys added a fourth off Tsai Chi Che and then something strange happened…Monkeys closer Wang Yue Lin allowed a home run then for Brothers to tie. He got the 2nd out with 2 on only for Yueh Dong Hua to walk off with a 3 run blast. Monkeys 4 Brothers 7.

Villenueva and Miranda had had contrasting starts in the last appearances, this time the good Villanueva showed. 7 innings, 3H and 1R against his former team. The Monkeys offense went to work on Miranda hitting the ball over the fence 4 times in the opening 5, 10H, 9R and an impenetrable lead. The visitors added two more in the 6th off a reliever and that would be it for scoring. Chang Chih Hao was the only Brothers player to score in the 2nd. Final score: Monkeys 11 Brothers 1.

On Sunday Monkeys Ryan Carpenter followed up his previous start by once again pitching 7 but with even better stats. Just 5 hits and 1 unearned run in the 5th by which time they led 4-0. Unbelievably the Monkeys made 5 errors but would only concede once! Their offense added 4 more in the 6th and the bullpen shutout Brothers in the 8th and 9th. Final score: Monkeys 8 Brothers 1.

Next round-up to come soon!

Tom.

Welcome to round-up 10 of the season as every side has now played over half of their matches in the first phase.

Monkeys v Brothers – Tues and Wed in Taichung

Weng Wei Chun matched up against the rapidly improving Jose de Paula and this was all one way traffic. The Dominican was in complete control as he struck out 10 allowing just one earned run (a Lin Li homer) in his 6 innings. During this time Brothers scored 8 runs and went further ahead in the 7th. Rakuten Monkeys would score come consolation runs but still easily lost. Final score: Monkeys 5 Brothers 10.

Nicolino v Huang En Sih in this one and both pitchers went into the 7th, an early exchange of runs had the Monkeys leading 4-3 after 4 and it remained that way into the 7th. Nicolino allowed a 1 out 2 RBI double to Chang Chih Hao and that was the turning point. Brothers had a 5-4 and wouldn’t surrender it, extending it 6-4 after 7 and added 2 more in the 8th. Final score: Monkeys 4 Brothers 8.

Lions v Guardians – Wed and Thurs at Xinzhuang

On his birthday Lions Chiang Chen Yen had the chance to be just the 3rd man in league history to win on his birthday but his side was facing Guardians ace Mike Loree. Chiang gave up two HRs in the opening three only for the tide to turn… Very… Very… Dramatically. Uni Lions got 6 hits and a walk off Loree as he exited the game with the score 6-2 in the top of the 4th with 1 out. The visitors would score in the next four innings to take a 12-2 lead with Chiang pitching 94 over 7 innings. Fubon scored a consolation in the bottom of the 8th but Chiang had his birthday win. Final score: Lions 12 Guardians 3

Thursday’s game was a lot closer as Shih Tzu Chien took on Chiang Kuo Hao. The sides were level 3-3 after 3 and 4-4 going into the bottom of the 6th. Kao Hsiao Yi’s grounder with runners on 2nd and 3rd brought home a run, what would be 9th and final run of the game. Final score: Lions 4 Guardians 5.

Lions v Brothers – Fri, Sat and Sun in Taichung

Friday’s game was another close one for Uni Lions having lost 2 of the previous 3 by a single run. This became 3 in 4. Ryan Feierabend pitched 7 solid innings and left the game with the Lions 6-5 up. Earlier in the game Brothers had taken a 5-2 lead only for Kuo Fu Lin and Su Chih Chieh to hit 5th inning homers to tie it up. Su’s sac fly then made it 6-5 in the 7th.

With Feieraband gone Huang Chun Yen gave three free passes with 2 walks and a hit by pitch to load the bases. Closer Chen Yun Wen couldn’t stop the Brothers offense with a Wang Wei Chen grounder getting an out but the runner on 3rd scored to makw it 6-6. Wu Dong Rong’s double then put Brothers 8-6 up. In response the Lions loaded the bases off closer CC Lee with no outs but could manage a sac fly from Su Chih Chieh. Final score: Lions 7 Brothers 8.

Saturday’s game was not particularly with Josh Roenicke facing Mitch Lively. Brothers scored 2 in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th innings to take a comfortable 6-0 lead against a Lions offense that only made 2 hits in the opening 5. The game was quickly opened up through Chen Chieh Hsien and Wu Chieh Rui’s back to back doubles followed up by a Su Chih Chieh homer. 6-3 and game on? No. Lions relievers allowed Brothers in a row to reach base, took 45 pitches to get an out and allowed an RBI to Chou Shi Chi then a Grand Slam to Chan Tzu Hsien and a 3 run homer to Huang Chun Sheng. Brothers 14-3 up and without an out! The game settled down and either side troubled the scorers again. Final score: Lions 3 Brothers 14.

Sunday’s game was interesting to say the least as Logan Darnell faced off against Ariel Miranda. Things started fantastically for Uni Lions loading the bases with no outs and a Kuo Fu Lin walk brought home a run. Lin An Ko made it 2-0 in the top of the 3rd and with bases loaded Lin Tzu Chieh cleared the bases with a 3 RBI shot to the wall. A stand up double and Chen Chong Yu brought Lin home with a sac fly after a wild pitch. Brothers immediately responded loading the bases themselves with 0 outs and having scored 2 runs. Darnell got two outs but Chen Tzu Hao repeated Lin Tzu Chieh with his own 3 run double.

No further score going into the bottom of the 4th and then the rain came which delayed the game by 2 hours. No score again until the 8th when Chen Chong Yu’s home run made it 7-5. The bullpen blew it with Darnell gone. Cheng Chun Ren started the 8th, conceded a run, Huang Chun Yen continued the downfall with 3 hits and the lead given up and Chen Yun Wen closed out the inning, getting the final two outs with Brothers 9 7 up. Lin An Ko drove in a home run off CC Lee in the top of the 9th but no further runs for Uni Lions who fell to another 1 run defeat. Final score: Lions 8 Brothers 9.

Guardians v Monkeys – Fri, Sat and Sun in Taoyuan

It was Bryan Woodall v Lisalverto Bonila in Friday’s game and Bonila had another stellar performance as he pitched 8 innings but nearly didn’t get the win. Rakuten Monkeys did their thing and took a 3-0 lead with three solo homers by Chen Chen Wei in the 1st, Lin Li in the 4th and Kuo Yun Wen in the 6th. Bonila had a wobble conceding homers to Hu Chin Long and Kao Kuo Lin as Fubon tied the game at 3-3 with the top of the 8th played. The usual dependable Lin Yi Hao then immediately allowed three runs and the Monkeys led 6-3. This was almost not enough as Chen Yu Hsun allowed two runs without an out. Huang Tzu Peng tidied up and Bonila and the Monkeys held on. Final score: Guardians 5 Monkeys 6.

Saturday saw Henry Sosa face Wang Yi Cheng and it started with lots of runs. The Monkeys took a 6-4 lead after 4 but Sosa would remain in the game until the end of the 8th and pitch 128 times. This was due to an issue with closer Chen Hung Wen and the fact Fubon’s relievers have struggled against the Monkeys this year. Sosa didn’t concede in his final 4 innings and his Guardians side would claw themselves back into the game. The game was 6-5 Monkeys when Monkeys starter Wang Yi Cheng left the game and the Guardians were soon ahead. 2 runs off both Su Chun Wei and Huang Tzu Peng put the visitors 9-6 up after 8. Lin Yi Hao pitched a 1 2 3 inning to finish off the home side to give the final score: Guardians 9 Monkeys 6

Sunday’s game was postponed due to rain

.

This week’s schedule

Lions v Monkeys on Tues/Wed in Taoyuan

Guardians v Brothers on Wed/Thurs in Taichung

Guardians v Lions – Fri, Sat, Sun in Tainan.

Monkeys v Brothers –

Fri, Sat, Sun in Tainan

.

Tom

2020

Well, we still had rain but more than just a couple of games. It’s time to look back at what happened in the CPBL last week. Note, at this stage thiw

Brothers v Lions – Tues and Wed in Tainan

Tuesday’s game started but was abandoned after 2 due to heavy rain. The game will resume from the top of the 3rd in July with the score 1-0 Brothers.

Wednesday’s game went ahead and was one of the longest of the season. Chen Tzu Hao’s RBI double and Chang Chih Hao’s home run put Brothers up three in the first before Chen’s triple in the second made it 4-0. The game was turned around in the 4th though as Chen Yung Chi loaded the bases with no outs and 1 run having scored. Two runs scored off Pan Wu Hsiang and Lin Ching Kai to make it 4 3. With 2 outs and runners on the corners Lin Tzu Chieh extended the Lions home run streak to 23 and it was 6 4 Lions after 4.

Lin Ching Kai helped put the Lions 7 4 up in the following inning but the dreaded bullpen came on. Chou Shi Chi’s 2 run blast in the top of 7th brought it back to 7 6 and Wang Wei Chen’s RBI tied at the game with 8 innings gone. No more runs until the 11th with Lions closer Chen Yun Wen pitching just 17 in the 9th and 10th. Liu Hsuan Ta came on and gave up 4 runs with 1 out before he was replaced and a 1 2 3 double play finished the inning.

In a thrilling game, there was a thrilling finish. A couple of hits and walks made it 11-8 and Lin Tzu Chieh’s 2 RBI single put runners on the corners with 1 out. It wasn’t to be as lead off man Chen Chieh Hsien hit into a double play and Brothers sneaked away with the win. Final score: Brothers 11 Lions 10.

Monkeys v Guardians – Wed and Thurs at Xinzhuang

As Brothers and Uni Lions abused the scoreboard in Tainan, Rakuten Monkeys Justin Nicolino and Guardians ace Mike Loree served up a pitching battle at Xinzhuang.

Guardians Fan Guo Chen hit a second inning homer off Nicolino but that would be Nicolino’s only conceded run in 6. Kuo Yun Wen tied the game in the 5th but a Lee Tsung Hsien 2 run triple put the home side and Mike Loree in a winning position after 7.

Loree started the 8th giving away two hits and was replaced by Lin Yi Hao. Lin recovered the inning and thwarted the Monkeys offense. Lin conceded a sac fly to Chen Chun Hsiu but struck out Liao Chien Fu to stop the rally at 3-2. Fan Guo Chen then settled Guardians nerves with a no out 2 run home run to make it 5-2 in the bottom of the inning. Rakuten would put runners on the corners with 2 outs and Chen Chen Wei had a chance to tie the game but Chen Hung Wen struck him out to seal the win. Final score: Monkeys 2 Guardians 5.

Thursday’s game was postponed.

Monkeys v Lions – Fri, Sat, Sun in Tainan

Brothers v Guardians – Fri, Sat, Sun at Xinzhuang.

This week’s schedule

Monkeys v Brothers – Tues and Wed in Taichung

Lions v Guardians – Wed and Thurs at Xinzhuang

Lions v Brothers – Fri, Sat and Sun in Taichung

Guardians v Monkeys – Fri, Sat and Sun in Taoyuan

In what is possibly the shortest round-up I’ve ever written, it’s time to look back at what little baseball we did get.

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions – Tues/Wed in Tainan

Both games were cancelled to rain.

CTBC Brothers v Rakuten Monkeys – Thursday in Taoyuan

This game was washed out.

Fubon Guardians v CTBC Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taichung

Friday and Saturday’s matches were postponed due to rain.

Sunday’s game will be remembered more for the drama than the score. Chang Chih Hao put Brothers 1 up in the first with a home run but was hit in the knee by Guardians starter Henry Sosa in 3rd inning and exited the game. By this point Fubon had taken a 4-1 lead thanks to a 3HR shot by Lee Tsung Hsien and Lin Yi Chuan’s solo shot.

Brothers starter Ariel Miranda conceded his third homer to Hu Chin Long in the top of the 5th then completely lost it. He threw one over Lin Yu Chuan and warnings were sent out, 2 pitches later Miranda struck Lin Yu Chuan in the knee. Video replays https://youtu.be/UFD_87WwJZQ suggest that it may have been intentional. Miranda was tossed and Lin exited the game later going to hospital.

Both sides scored twice more but this one was overshadowed by the HBP incidents. Final score: Guardians 7 Brothers 3.

Uni Lions v Rakuten Monkeys – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taoyuan.

Friday and Saturday’s games were rained off.

Rakuten Monkeys played their first game in front of fans and started well. They scored 3 in the opening 4 as Logan Darnell’s Lions debut lasted 3.2. This wasn’t the usual Monkeys game at home though as Lin An Ko, Kuo Fu Lin and Lin Ching Kai hit RBIs to tie the game in the 5th. The Lions went further ahead off Su Chih Chieh’s double and a Kuo Fu Lin RBI to lead 6 3 with 6 gone.

Monkeys applied pressure on Lions inexperienced relievers Kuo Heng Hsiao and Lin Wei Chih and came back to within 1 with the bases loaded. Cheng Chun Jen got the final out though with Chen Chun Hsiu hitting into a ground out at 2nd.

Su Chih Chieh extended the Lions home run streak in the 8th and that was the final run. Chen Yun Wen started the 9th with 8 strikes and whilst he couldn’t quite get an immaculate inning, he completed the save with 12 pitches. Final score: Lions 7 Monkeys 5

This week’s fixtures

Brothers v Lions – Tues and Wed in Tainan

Monkeys v Guardians – Wed and Thurs at Xinzhuang

Monkeys v Lions – Fri, Sat, Sun in Tainan

Brothers v Guardians – Fri, Sat, Sun at Xinzhuang.

Catch you next week!

It’s a rainy Tuesday and whilst this week’s action may get affected by rain, let’s look back at last week.

Rakuten Monkeys v Uni Lions – Tues/Wed in Tainan

Starting in Tainan would be the most logical thing to do after one of the most outrageous series in league history.

On Tuesday Donn Roach matched up against Weng Wei Chun and as expected, this was high scoring. Rakuten took a 4-0 top of the 1st only for Kuo Fu Lin and Lin An Ko to hit RBIs and make it 4-2. This was was close as it got as Rakuten Monkeys went 9-2 up after 3 with Roach exiting after 2.2. A blank fourth followed but runs were scored regularly after that. 10-4 after 5, 13-5 after 6 but a Lions rally in the 7th got it back to 13-9. Rakuten would end up running away 17-10 victors as both sides made 18 hits and all but 2 starters made hits. Final score: Monkeys 17-10 Lions.

Wednesday’s game started off quietly. Justin Nicolino v Chiang Chen Yen, 40 minutes to complete the opening 2 then BOOOOOM! An explosion of runs in the middle innings. Lan Yin Lun put the Monkeys up by 1 in the third, but Lin Jing Kai hit a triple and Chen Chieh Hsien brought him home to level. With the bases loaded with one out Chen Yung Chi smoked one to deep centre and the grand slam had the Lions up 5-1. Into the fourth and An Ko’s double made it 7-1 and knocked Nicolino out the game.

The runs continued with Chen Yung Chi adding his 5th RBI and Lin Tzu Chieh pitching in with a 2 run double. 10-1 with 4 played but the Monkeys came back with Chen Chun Hsiu’s 2 out 3 run home run. Lin Chu Yu Hsien walked and Lin Li added another homer. Chiang was gone. Monkeys back within 4.

With bases loaded and 1 out Chen Yung Chi knocked a shot between 1st and 2nd towards the outfield for 2 more Lions runs… As the Su Chih Chieh advanced to third Lin Li miscaught the ball and Su scored, Lin then threw the ball to 1st with the ball ending up in foul territory and Chen Yung Chi scored! Bases cleared, 2 RBIs, 2 errors and it was 14-6. Kao Kuo Ching then hit a homer and Lions had scored 5 in three straight innings.

Rakuten Monkeys wouldn’t take this lying down and made 5 straight hits off Fu Yu Gang to make it 15-10. Two blank and rather settled innings followed and having scored, and with 2 outs Cheng Jin came to the plate for a potential game tying grand slam. He was ground out and the game was done. Monkeys 11 Lions 15.

CTBC Brothers v Fubon Guardians – Wed/Thurs at Xinzhuang.

This series was rather more tame and saw Bryan Woodall pick up his first win as a starter for around a year. His Guardians side trailed 3-2 going into the 6th but Lin Yi Chuan leveled with a home run and Kao Kuo Lin’s RBI brought brother Kao Kuo Hui home and gave Fubon the lead.

The home side attacked the Brothers bullpen with a further 5 runs to give them a comfortable 9-3 victory.

Thursday’s game was a little different as 23 year old Huang En Sih faced 22 year old Chen Shih Peng. Chen had an uncharacteristically poor start allowing Brothers to go 6-0 up after 4. Huang pitched admirably into the 8th with his side 10-2 ahead. He had a QS with 6 hits, 3 runs conceded. Both sides scored in 9th as it ended: Brothers 11 Guardians 3.

CTBC Brothers v Uni Lions – Weekend series in Tainan

Part three of Ariel Miranda v Ryan Feierabend on Friday evening and one for the pitchers rather than the hitters. Kuo Fu Lin hit a 2 run homer in the bottom of 1st and after 5 shutout innings, Su Wei Da’s RBI gave Brothers a run in the 6th. The pitching remained solid and neither side would score again. Miranda took his first CPBL loss but had a line of 7IP, 7H, 2R, 8K, Feierabend got his first win, 6IP, 6H, 1R, 6K.  Final score: Brothers 1 Lions 2.

Saturday’s game was not as close and neither was Sunday’s. Jose DePaula took on Josh Roenicke and after two tight innings, Brothers took a 5-1 lead with 4 played. De Paula would pitch 7 innings striking out 12 conceding just 4 hits and 1 run with his side cruising to a 9-2 win. The only upside to the Lions day was Lin Jing Kai’s first ever homer in the 3rd which extended the streak of consecutive game home runs to 20.

Sunday was worse from a Lions perspective as Mitch Lively made his much awaited Brothers return. He was not in a charitable mood although Uni Lions Shih Tzu Chien looked to be. Brothers scored 8 in the opening 4, and added 3 more off Liu Hsuan Ta before Lively conceded a run. A Lions rally in the 5th made it 11-4 and with 2 on, Chen Yung Chi was caught superbly at the wall. 5 runs apiece in the 6th-8th inning stretch making it 16-9. Su Chih Chieh hit the Lions mandatory homer in the 8th. Brothers got their 5th home run of the game in the 9th, a PH 3 run blast by Chen Wen Chieh made it 19-9. A painful evening for the home side and an emphatic victory for Brothers. Final score: Brothers 19 Lions 9.

Rakuten Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – Weekend series at Xinzhuang

Friday’s match up was a blockbuster one between Ryan Carpenter and Henry Sosa but neither would impact on the final result. Shen Hao Wei’s solo home run but Fubon ahead and the sides went toe to toe, each scoring 2 in the 4th and 3 in the 6th. With Sosa gone, Lin Li levelled the game with an RBI double in the 7th.

No score in the 8th or 9th but a winner in 10. Liao Chien Fu’s solo homer put Rakuten Monkeys ahead for the first time and reliever Wang Yue Lin finished the job with a shutout inning. Final score: Monkeys 7 Guardians 6.

Saturday’s game was rained out but we had another titanic match-up on Sunday, it was time for the return of CPBL legend Mike Loree. He was going up against Lisalverto Bonila.

Fubon scored twice early on only for Lin Li to tie the game with a 2 run homer. Fubon edged back ahead in the 5th whilst Loree kept the Monkeys at bay. As Loree impressed on the mound, Fubon attacked the Monkeys bullpen with Bonila gone and scored 6 in the 7th inning to take a commanding 9-2 advantage. With Loree the visitors tried to forge a comeback but 7 runs in 2 innings was too much even for the Monkeys, they managed 5. Final score: Monkeys 7 Guardians 9.

This week’s schedule

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions – Tues/Wed in Tainan

CTBC Brothers v Rakuten Monkeys – Thursday in Taoyuan

Fubon Guardians v CTBC Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taichung

Uni Lions v Rakuten Monkeys – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taoyuan.

All matches subject to weather. Plum rain is due in Taiwan as it is May. Southern Taiwan has had rain today, Tuesday and it’s desperately needed.

Tom

It’s Tuesday so welcome back to the CPBL weekly round up by me, Thomas Jellis. There were another great week of baseball just lets jump straight into it.

Uni Lions v CTBC Brothers – Tues/Wed

Tuesday’s game saw Donn Roach take on Huang En Sih and once again Roach would struggle in his 4th CPBL start. The Lions took a first inning lead but it didn’t last long, Roach conceding 8 between the 2nd and top of the 5th. It left the hitters a lot to do. 4 runs back in later innings were not enough despite the Lions bullpen shutting out Brothers the rest of the way, final score: Lions 5 Brothers 8.

Wednesday’s game started well for Uni Lions with Kuo Fu Lin’s HR and a Chen Chieh Hsien RBI giving them a 2-0 lead that wouldn’t last long. Brothers responded by whacking 6 off veteran Pan Wei Lun. Kuo came back with another HR only for Brothers to score 10 unanswered runs across the next 3 innings to lead 16-4. The sides would exchange 2 runs in the 7th and the Lions pulled 2 more back in the 8th, it was nothing but a consolation on a sorry night for the Lions pitchers. Wang Wei Chen took home game MVP with 5 hits, 4 RBI and 3 runs off 6 plate appearances. Final score: Lions 8 Brothers 18.

Fubon Guardians v Rakuten Monkeys – Thurs in Taoyuan

Just one game in this series as Bryan Woodall faced off against Justin Nicolino. Woodall lasted 2.2 as he gave up 5 runs in a painful third and Rakuten extended it to a 6-0 lead an inning later.

Incredibly Fubon came fighting back, 1 in the 5th and 5 in the 6th inning to tie the game at 6-6 and with that Nicolino exited the game. So 6-6 and all to play for until Luo Guo Hua began the 7th inning conceding 2 runs without an out, Lin Yi Hao cleared up and the Monkeys held an 8-6 lead. In the top of the 8th Fubon had an amazing chance. They loaded the bases with 1 out only for Monkeys pitcher Chen Yu Hsun to escape the jam without giving anything else away. This was to prove fatal…

Fan Yu Yu immediately started giving away hits and runs. He was left in the game for 43 pitches, getting one out with 8H, 7R, 1BB and 2WP. His replacement a 2nd baseman Chen Kai Lun threw one pitch and got a double play. No further runs in the game. Final score: Guardians 6 Monkeys 15.

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians – Weekend series.

Friday

This game was the first night fans were allowed back in the stadiums in Taiwan and it proved to be an entertaining clash. Lions took a 2-0 lead in the third against Chen Shih Peng who usually starts well v the Lions. Ryan Feierabend went scoreless until the 5th when Chiang Chih Hsien hit a home run to make it 2-1. Puzzlingly Feierabend didn’t make it out again despite only throwing 77 pitches and the Lions bullpen had a 5-2 advantage that became 7-2 after 7. A bases loaded Chen Chong Yu sac fly made it 7-3 and Chen Yung Chi smashed a 3 run homer make it 7-6 in the top of the 8th. There was to be no stirring finish as Fubon held on. Final score: Lions 7 Guardians 8.

Saturday

Josh Roenicke started his first CPBL game for Uni Lions this season and retired 7 straight to start. He then followed this up giving up 7 over the 3rd to 5th inning stretch. Chiang Kuo Hao would have another sensational outing for Fubon Guardians lasting a full 8 innings conceding 6 hits and a run in the 4th and 8th whilst the hitters stayed at 7.

With the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the 9th, two sac flies followed. No further runs and Fubon easily held on. Final score: Lions 4 Guardians 7.

Sunday

This was my first game as fan and Uni Lions took a six losing streak into the final game of the series. The match up was identical to the previous Sunday with Shih Tzu Chien facing You Ting Wei. The score almost ended up identical too. The form hitter Kao Kuo Lin blasted his third 2 run homer of the weekend in the bottom of the 1st but that’s all the damage Fubon would do.

Lin An Ko’s 2nd inning bomb to deep centre kick started the Lions evening. With the bases loaded 19 year olds Lin Ching Kai and Chiu Chih Cheng hit RBIs to put Uni Lions 3-2 up. Lin would hit the first of six consecutive hits to start the 5th as Lions opened up an 8-2 lead. Fubon would get the three outs but not before conceding a 9th run and Lin Ching Kai made his 2nd hit of the inning. They’d be one further run in the top of the 9th, Uni Lions snapping a 6 game losing streak with 17 hits in a 10-2 win.

Rakuten Monkeys v CTBC Brothers – Weekend Series

Friday

As at Xinzhuang, fans were allowed into see this, the match-up between Taiwan’s two most teams. Ryan Carpenter v Ariel Miranda was never going to be a high scoring game and so it proved. Lin Hung Yu made it advantage Carpenter in the 3rd only for Wang Wei Chen’s run and Su Wei Da’s RBI to give Brothers a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 6th. Miranda went off and the Brothers bullpen held off the visitors for the next 3. Su Wei Da hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th and Brothers held a 5 run advantage. The last time Miranda had started Brothers had given up a 5 run lead in the 9th. 3 RBIs in 3 ABs made it 6-4 with 1 out but closer CC Lee recovered, struck out the next two and the game was won. Monkeys 4 Brothers 6.

Saturday

Monkeys v Brothers games are never short of drama and this was no exception. The home side took a 1-0 lead in the first but then things went wrong… Starter Esmil Rogers had control issues and then hit Liao Chien Fu with a throw to 1st. Liao was stretched off and Rogers ejected for foul language. In the midst of this Rakuten went 5-1 up and would not squander it. Lisalverto Bonila’s wild pitch allowed Brothers to score a 2nd run in the 6th followed by an RBI from Chan Tzu Hsien to make it 5-3. The visitors held firm, Bonila was held at 6IP and 90 pitches and the bullpen held the lead. Monkeys would score late on and it would finish Monkeys 6 Brothers 3.

Sunday

Sunday’s game was started by two pitchers with contrasting fortunes. Wang Yi Cheng with a 3-0 record against Jose DePaula with an 0-4 one. This game went the way of the form book although when DePaula left after 5, Brothers only trailed 2-1. Chu Yu Hsien and Lan Yin Lun put Monkeys 5-1 ahead with the game entering the bottom of the 7th. Wang Yi Cheng carried on pitching until the 2 out by which time it was 5-3, a further run made it 5-4.

On an evening where Rakuten Monkeys would only make 5 hits they didn’t even have to worry about their bullpen. A double play finished the game in the bottom of the 9th for Brothers. Final score: Monkeys 5 Brothers 4.

This week’s schedule.

Rakuten Monkeys v Uni Lions – Tues/Wed in Tainan

CTBC Brothers v Fubon Guardians – Wed/Thurs at Xinzhuang.

CTBC Brothers v Uni Lions – Weekend series in Tainan

Rakuten Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – Weekend series at Xinzhuang.

Midweek games at 6:35pm Taiwan time, Sat and Sun at 5:05pm. All games subject to weather.

See you next week,

Tom

Welcome back to the CPBL round-up written by me, Thomas Jellis. The third full week was full of high scoring games and more dramatic finishes so let’s take a look back.

Rakuten Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – Tues and Wed

These games were the two lowest scoring of the week as the Monkeys traveled to Xinzhuang for the first time this season. On Tuesday Justin Nicolino made his debut and it was one to remember as went scoreless through 8 solid innings. Bryan Woodall went scoreless through 5 for Fubon but took the loss, conceding 2 in the 6th in an eventual 3-0 defeat. Guardians made just 2 hits all evening. Final score: Monkeys 3 Guardians 0.

Ryan Carpenter got his first win as a Monkey on Wednesday in a 5-3 victory. The away side went 5-0 up and Carpenter only conceded in the 7th when he gave up 2 unearned runs. Fubon scored again in the 8th but the visitors held on comfortably. Final score: Monkeys 5 Guardians 3.

CTBC Brothers v Uni Lions – Wed and Thurs

Both sides came into this off the back of a series win at the weekend and gave up a couple of great games last midweek.

Brothers went 3-0 going into the bottom of 4th but the Lions had and gone ahead going into the 7th. 4-3 up and with the pitch count around 100 the Lions left starter Donn Roach in the game. Brothers tied it off a home run, Roach got two outs and then gave up a single. As Roach tired against Chang Chih Hao approaching 120 pitches Chang put one the left field wall and Brothers lead 6 4. This was turned into 9 4 in the following inning. Uni Lions rallied back and had 2 on with 1 on, trailing 9 7 with Su Chih Chieh at the plate. He struck out, Lions scored again before Teng Chih Wei grounded to first leaving 2 on as Brothers clung on for the win. Final score: Brothers 9 Lions 8.

Thursday’s game was a young v old battle. Brothers Liao Yi Zhong v Lions Pan Wei Lun. Liao would be out the game and 0.2 innings conceding 2 hits and 3 walks. Lions took advantage of his lack of command and would lead 7-0 after 3. Veteran Pan who had struggled in his opening 2 nearly let Brothers back into it as it became 7 5 during the top of 5th, although only 3 runs were earned. Lions put it to bed with 5 more in the bottom of the 5th and a comeback was never likely. Final score: Brothers 6 Lions 12.

CTBC Brothers v Rakuten Monkeys – Weekend series

A classic match up between two of the CPBL’s best supported teams and they gave us 57 runs in this series

Friday saw the highest paid foreign in the league, Ariel Miranda head to Taoyuan to see if he could tame the Monkeys offense. Well, through 8 innings he did with just 4 hits and 3 runs given up. Brothers trailed 3-2 after 5 but would attack the Monkeys bullpen and lead 8-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. A safe lead right? Remember this is the CPBL and with Miranda gone, the Monkeys offense set to work. 8th man in Lin Hung Yu tied it at 8-8 with a hit to right. And so to extras the game went…

Both the 10th and 11th belonged to the pitchers but in the 12th Du Chia Ming and Wang Wei Chen hit RBIs to put Brothers back ahead. Despite making two hits off Hsieh Rong Hao the home side would not come back this time. Final score: Brothers 10 Monkeys 8.

Saturday’s game was the highest scoring of the season as Esmil Rogers faced Wang Yi Cheng. Both got knocked around a bit early, Brothers 5-1 up going into the bottom of the 3rd only for that Monkeys offense to kick in and score 7 runs with Rogers only able to get 2 outs, he was pulled and Brothers were never able to get back into the game. Behind 8-5 after 3, it only got worse. Chen Po Hao was ragdolled in the 6th for 5H, 1BB and 6R as the Monkeys went 15-5 ahead. Brothers made the score more respectable late o. but the Monkeys still won comfortably. Final score: Brothers 11 Monkeys 16.

Sunday’s was another case of foreign starter v local pitcher with Jose DePaula looking for his first CPBL win against Weng Wei Chun who Uni Lions had destroyed the previous Sunday.

The scores were locked at 2-2 after 3 but that Monkeys offense did it’s thing as Weng stayed strong on the mound for them. 3 in both the 4th and 5th put the home side 8-3 ahead. They’d only be one more run, to the Monkeys in the 6th as they eased to victory once again. De Paula has now 4 losses from 4 starts and Brothers will be desperately wanting Mitch Lively back soon. Final score: Brothers 3 Monkeys 9.

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions – Weekend series.

Friday’s game looked like a mismatch. Henry Sosa against Chiang Chen Yen but what happened stunned everyone. Sosa had given away just 17 runs in 86 innings last season, Uni Lions hit 10 in just 2 to start the game. The score was 12-0 after 4 and the Lions would cruise to victory, they could even afford to concede 4 in the 6th but scored 3 back straight away anyway. Chen Chieh Hsien had 4 RBIs, Lin An Ko had 5 and Tang Chao Ting had 3 as the Lions pulled off shock of the season. Chiang Chen Yen had his first win with 5IP, 6H and 0R conceded. Final score: Guardians 6 Lions 15.

It’s always easy to assume a foreign pitcher will come out on top against a Taiwanese one, especially a young and struggling one. Chiang Gao Hao had had losses with a 12.27 ERA to start the year but this all changed as he faced Uni Lions and Ryan Feierabend. Chiang had a fantastic game with 6 shutout innings against a Lions side who’d hit 47 in their previous 4 games. Feierabend had his moments of brilliance but took a loss, a Wang Cheng Tung triple put Fubon 4 up in the 5th and they’d not look back. Uni Lions bullpen folded to a Guardians side who’d only been averaging 5 runs a game, 3 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th and 9th. Lin Yi Chuan hit 2HR combining for 5RBI in the 7th and 9th innings. Lions got consolation runs in innings 8 and 9 but it didn’t make the scoreboard look much better. Final score Guardians 11 Lions 2.

Uni Lions had made 5 hits on Saturday and were looking to bounce back. It was a battle of two young Taiwanese starters in You Ting Wai and Shih Tzu Chien, both had had good starts to the season. A low two innings was followed by two very dramatic ones. A Lin Yi Chuan RBI put Fubon 1-0 up in the top of the 3rd before the Lions loaded the bases with 0 outs partly thanks to 2 walks. Two pop up flies followed then Su Chih Chieh walked to tie the game. Kuo Fu Lin then cleared the bases with an always satisifying 3 RBI triple. 4-1 would become 5-1 and the home team looked in charge.

An error allowed Fubon to load the bases in the very next half inning, this would be costly. Lions got the next out but lead off man Hu Chin Long came to the plate and bettered Kuo Fu Lin’s triple with a game tying Grand Slam. In the 5th with 2 outs and 1 on, Lions pulled Shih Tzu Chien and his replacement Chiu Hao Chun immediately allowed Fubon to load the bases with Hu Chin Long to come to the plate. It wasn’t a 2nd Grand Slam but he did his a 2 RBI single. Lions pulled a run back off Bryan Woodall, put in to try regain a bit of form and he would end up with the win as he pitched 2.

Uni Lions would turn to starter Josh Roenicke to make a relief appearance and get some match practice but Fubon extended their lead and would score 5 runs off him in his 3 innings. Lions struggled with the bat, just 6 hits all evening but they got walked 7 times. Final score: Guardians 12 Lions 7, just 7 of those Guardians runs were earned as Lions made 4 errors.

This week’s schedule

Uni Lions v CTBC Brothers – Tues/Wed in Taichung

Fubon Guardians v Rakuten Monkeys – Thurs in Taoyuan

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians – Fri, Sat, Sun at Xinzhuang

Rakuten Monkeys v CTBC Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taichung.

All midwek games at 6:35pm Taiwan time, 5:05pm at weekends.

Have a good week!

Tom.

It’s the time of the week to look back at last week’s CPBL action and look at the upcoming schedule.

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians – Tues and Wed

It was a miserable second start to the season for Lions veteran pitcher Pan Wei Lun. Pan lasted just 1.1 innings as he conceded 8 runs, giving up 6H and 2BB. Fubon’s pitchers had an easy evening, giving away 6H and 2R, one unearned, both those to starter Chen Shih Peng who pitched 6.1. Fubon lead 10-1 after 3 and would come away comfortable winners. Final score: Lions 2 Guardians 13.

Wednesday’s game saw Donn Roach take on Bryan Woodall and it was Roach who got his first CPBL win. Woodall lasted just 2.0 innings, 5 runs, 5 hits and 3 walks as Lions took an early 5-1 lead. Fubon pulled it back to 5-4 in the 4th before 4 runs in the top of 5th pushed Lions into what was an ultimately unassailable lead. Fubon scored late on but never looked like getting back into it. Final score Lions 9 Guardians 5.

Rakuten Monkeys v CTBC Brothers – Wed and Thurs

More extra innings as the CPBL heavyweights matched up in Taichung. Brothers starter Liao Yi Zhong conceded twice early but would last 7 and only give up those 2 runs and 9 hits. Ryan Carpenter pitched 92, with 5H and 0 runs as the bullpen let Brothers allowed back in it. Lin Chih Sheng and Chou Su Chi tied it up with RBIs in the 8th. So to extras after a blank 9th and Chen Chun Chiu’s single ultimately won the game in the top of the 10th. Final score: Monkeys 3 Brothers 2. Side note, Monkeys red hot hitter Chu Yu Hsien went 1 for 5 with 3Ks.

Thursday’s game was meant to be about Justin Nicolino’s first CPBL start and it was going great until the rain arrived. He conceded 3H 1R in 2 innings as the game was abandoned in the mid of the 3rd with the score 4-1 to Rakuten Monkeys. This game will continue at a later date.

CTBC Brothers v Fubon Guardians – Weekend series

A record setting night for Brothers allowed Ariel Miranda to cruise to his 2nd CPBL win on Friday at Xinzhuang Stadium. Every Brothers hitter had multiple hits (matching a record) and they bludgeoned young Guardians starter Chiang Kuo Hao. Chiang gave up 7 runs in the opening frame and would go onto concede 14 hits, 10 runs over 5. Miranda was scoreless over 6 and Brothers would nil Guardians in an 11-0 thrashing with 10 strike outs. An impressive outing for the Taichung side.

Saturday’s game saw a battle of the Dominican pitchers, Esmil Rogers and Henry Sosa although neither would impact on the final result. Brothers took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd, Fubon came back into it in the 5th off Lin Che Hsuan’s homer and his double tied the game at 4 in the bottom of the 6th. Yang Jin Hao then put Fubon ahead as Rogers was taken off and score sat at 5-4 Guardians after 6.

Chan Tzu Hsien levelled the game again in the top of the 7th as Brothers looked to retake the lead. They had 2 on with nobody out but were unable to score again. Lin Chih Sheng hitting the winning RBI in the top of the 8th as Brothers came out on top again. It finished Brothers 6 Guardians 5. Sosa only has 1 win from his first 3 starts, Brothers putting up 12 runs to 6 on ankfhet good day for them.

Sunday’s game was another close encounter as Jose DePaula faced young Guardians starter You Ting Wei. Unlike on Friday, Brothers didn’t have their way with this youngster. In fact You had a solid outing giving up 6H and 1R as Fubon led 4-1 after 6. Fan Yu Yu gave away 3H 2R with 0 outs and Brothers sensed something only for Lin Yi Hao to strike out 2 and finish off the inning. Dai Pei Feng extended the lead to 5-3 and Fubon held on despite a Brothers comeback run in the top of the 8th. Final score Brothers 4 Guardians 5. A series win for Brothers restricting Guardians to just 19 hits all weekend, one to ponder for Guardians fans…

Rakuten Monkeys v Uni Lions – Weekend series

As Brothers took apart Chiang Kuo Hao at Xinzhuang, Rakuten did the same to Chiang Chen Yen and the Lions in Tainan. Chu Yu Hsien hit 2 more home runs as Rakuten made 9 hits, 9 runs in the opening 4 as Chiang Chen Yen toiled. This lead would be extended to 14 with 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th. Unlike Fubon, Uni Lions wouldn’t be nilled as they made 4 runs off Chiang Kuo Chien in the bottom of 9th. Another solid start for Monkeys veteran Wang Yi Cheng who conceded just 4 hits and a walm off 7 innings. His ERA stands at a league best 1.29. Final score Monkeys 14 Lions 4.

Friday’s game had been a blowout and with the way Saturday’s game featuring Lisalverto Bonila v Ryan Feierabend started, you’d have expected the same. Feierabend immediately gave up 3 hits and a sac fly to let Rakuten take a 2-0 lead. Kuo Yun Wen struck out but the league’s hot hitter Chu Yu Hsien hit a home run to right to make it 4-0. In response, 3 quick outs followed and it was soon 5-0 off Lin Cheng Fei’s homer.

Uni Lions started to offer some resistance and off 3 hits and a walk to start the 2nd pulled it back to 5-2. With 2 on and 1 out, things looked promising only to end up with their 2nd double play. Two outs started the 4th only for Rakuten to load the bases and Lin Hung Yu hit a 2 RBI single. There was to be no further damage instead Uni Lions chipped away at the Monkeys lead. Su Chih Chieh’s homer made it 7-3 in the 6th and 3 consecutive RBIs by the top of the Lions order made it 7-6 after 7. Rakuten Monkeys managed to load the bases in the top of the 9th as they sought to extend their lead but Lions closer struck out Lan Yin Lun and Monkeys closer Chen Yu Hsun came to the mound…

Lions centre fielder tied the game with a lead off home run. A walk allowed Lin Ching Kai to sac bunt and put Lions in a position to win the game. Lin An Ke did precisely that with a hard shot to the gap between 1st and 2nd with it Uni Lions walked off and became the first side to beat Rakuten Monkeys in 2020. Final score Monkeys 7 Lions 8.

Sunday’s game proved anything is possible in the CPBL. Two young pitchers Weng Wei Chun and Shih Tzu Chien both of whom had been excellent in their first start of the season. This game was quickly over. Uni Lions went 1, 2, 3, 4 off the opening 4 innings to take a 10-0 lead and stun the Monkeys with 11 hits. Shih Tzu Chien retired 11 straight before Lan Yin Lun got the Monkeys first hit in the 4th. Shih threw a mid game wobble but Lions led 11-4 after 6. 11-4 became 12-4 off Kuo Fu Lin’s 2nd HR of the game. A lot of Monkeys hits but they scored just once more in the game. Another fairly solid outing by the Lions bullpen and 12 runs, 17 hits as they became the first team this season to take down Rakuten Monkeys in a series. Final score Monkeys 5 Lions 12.

This week’s schedule

Monkeys v Guardians at Xinzhuang on Tues and Wed

Brothers v Lions in Tainan on Wed and Thurs

Brothers v Monkeys at Taoyuan on Fri, Sat, Sun

Guardians v Lions in Tainan on Fri, Sat, Sun.

That’s all for now. Continue to follow my Twitter @chapeltom and I’ll see you next week!