So, with so much traveling last week, I never managed to post this. I went to Xinzhuang last Tuesday which meant my usual time to write this was gone.

Lamigo Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – 27th/28th August at Xinzhuang

Two greatly contrasting games at Xinzhuang as this series was split. On 27th August, Chen Shih-peng and the Guardians bullpen held off the Monkeys, limiting them to just 8 hits. Kao Xiao-yi and Dai Pei-feng with the RBIs in the 2nd and 4th innings as Fubon won 2-0.

Wednesday’s game was more of a scoring fest with Ryan Bollinger giving up 9 runs in the opening three innings. Lamigo were never likely to give up a 9 run lead and the closest it got was 11-6 after 6 innings. The game finished 12-6 Monkeys with Lin Cheng-fei hitting a grand-slam in the third as part of 2R, 3H, 6RBI night.

Chinatrust Brothers v Uni Lions – 28th/29th August at Chengcing Lake

The CPBL’s second combined shutout of the week came in Kaohsiung at Chengcing Lake Stadium as Brothers comfortably beat Uni Lions. Huang En-tzu started for Brothers and along with 4 bullpen pitchers, they limited the Lions to 6 hits. Brothers chipped away with the runs, including 2 off Alec Asher in the 6th and a further 5 against the Lions wafer-thin bullpen. The final score was, Brothers 7-0 Lions.

On Thursday, both starters were solid with Mitch Lively giving up 3H, 1R in his 5 and Josh Roenicke just a solitary hit in his 5. Brothers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 7th only for the game to be immediately levelled in the bottom of the inning. Lin An-ke hit the winning RBI to take his 4th MvP in his first month as a Lion. The game ended Brothers 2-4 Lions.

Chinatrust Brothers v Fubon Guardians – 30th/31st Aug and 1st September at Xinzhuang

A match-up between two of the three second phase title contenders ended with three very tight games. All three games were decided by a combined five runs.

On Friday Mike Loree took his 8th loss of the season as faced off against Casey Harman. Both pitchers threw for 7 innings but Loree conceded 3 runs to Harman’s 2, the decisive RBI came in the top of the 4th from Yueh Tung-hua which put Brothers 3-2 up in a game that would finish 4-2 Brothers.

Saturday’s game was an error-filled game with only 5 of the 9 runs in the game being earned. Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 5th Brothers Liao Yi-zhong gave away 3 runs which would be enough to put Fubon out of reach. Liao took the loss as Brothers only managed one run back, but to concede only 2 earned runs, a tough loss for the youngster. Brothers 4-5 Guardians.

Error, the least favourite word for Brothers in this series. It happened again. They lead 3-0 going in the bottom of the 8th only for Villeneuva to concede 3 runs, all unearned and then end up giving two more runs with 2 outs on the board. A 5-3 defeat for Brothers who lost the series and saw the lead at the top reduced to just 0.5 games.

Uni Lions v Lamigo Monkeys -30th/31st Aug and 1st September in Taoyuan

Surprise of the week came in Taoyuan as Uni Lions made a rare successful trip to Taoyuan. The team that went 0-10 in Taoyuan in the first phase moved to 3-5 with a series win.

Friday encounter saw the Lions dominate, taking an 8-1 lead after 4 innings. Wang Yi-cheng the guilty pitcher, although to be fair only 5 of the 8 were earned runs. Zheng Kai-wen, Su Chih-chieh and Lin Yu-le all hitting home runs in the opening 4 frames. Lamigo battled back to 8-5 courtesy of a Lin Li grand slam but the bullpen did not falter and Uni Lions took a 10-6 victory.

Saturday’s game was heart-attack stuff, particularly in the away end of the stadium. Lamigo took a three-run lead in the bottom of the 1st then spectacularly threw it away. They allowed the Lions to level after 6 then Huang Wei-cheng gave up 4H, 1BB and 5ER to leave the Lions in a commanding 8-3 lead. Cheng Chun-ren then gave Lamigo a lifetime, the Lions bullpen pitcher allowing the lead to be pulled back to 3 runs with 0 out, bottom of the 8th. Lin Chih-wei and Huang Chun-yen tidied up, 8-5, bottom of the 9th with a 3 run lead, Chen Yun-wen as the closer came to the mound…

Lamigo immediately loaded the bases, with Chu Yu-hsien the leagues home run leader coming to the plate, a grand slam away from a win… A single. 8-6. Kuo Yun-wen, SAC FLY, 8-7, 1 OUT, 2 ON! Lin Cheng-fei, STRUCK OUT! The game remained on a knife-edge, Liao Jian-fu…walked! Yeh Zhu-hsuan was then caught in left field to end a dramatic 4-hour game.

Sunday’s game was the anti-climax to a superb weekend for the Lions. For Lamigo, it was a welcome win as they avoided being swept by Uni Lions for the first time ever in 9 years in Taoyuan. When the starting pitchers are Jiang Chen-yen and Radhames Liz, the seasoned CPBL fan will know what is likely to happen and it did…

Lamigo controlled the game from the first inning with Chu Yu-hsien hitting a first-inning home run to put his side 3-1 up. Jiang conceded 5 further runs and relief in the form of Hung Xin-chi wasn’t exactly relief, as he gave up 6H, 3R in 1.1, The game was effectively over by the end of the 5th, as Monkeys were 11-3 up. No further scoring in the game.

---

I will cover week 24 later today, tonight’s Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions game in the Tainan will be postponed so I will have time later.

Tom

In 140 days or in 20 weeks time I will be heading off on an 18 day/18 night trip to what is now the other side of the world from me.

I came to Asia a little under 5 years ago, and in that time, those destinations I first wanted to visit such as Myanmar, Vietnam, Japan haven’t been done yet. They will be visited eventually. I went to Cambodia in January 2017 which was always top of the list then waited nearly 2 years until I did my last trip, a return to the UK after 4 years. That had to be done. 8 months on from the UK, I’m going even further, most of you will know where I’m on about…

Ask me 5 years ago where I wanted to visit and I could show you the list because I wrote it down and the piece of paper remains in a drawer in my apartment. Things have changed with one destination not just going on my list of ‘Places to visit’ but now being the place I’m going to next! I am of course talking about the United States of America.

Truth be told I have been never bothered about the US. Maybe I saw it as somewhere everyone goes, perhaps it was just me in my early 20s, perhaps it was because the one love in my life; football had started to disappear off the agenda. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, there are probably a myriad of reasons but things are now different and I’m going there.

I’ve grown feelings towards the US. Living in Taiwan, it’s become easy to get attracted to American sports with the games in the morning and I work afternoons/evenings. I watch baseball in Taiwan, a big American sport but not so much the MLB. The NBA has become my league, basketball my second spectator sport. I’m more likely to be watching a basketball or baseball game than football (soccer) game in 2019.

That still doesn’t explain the why or the when. My holiday time is when Chinese New Year falls, next year that is January. I get unpaid time off work. It was mid-June and I was looking ahead to next year, thinking about what I could possibly go. I jumped on Skyscanner and the usual Asian destinations came up, Japan: too cold, Indonesia: too wet, Myanmar: NT$13,000, I scoffed at this one… too expensive! Oh hello, what’s this…

The more distant destinations were reasonably priced, Hawaii, NT$16,000 return seriously? Australia was a bit less. LA/San Francisco, about NT$20,000… A short while later, I put in Taipei to NYC, and LA to Taipei out of sheer curiosity and long story short, direct flights for under NT$25,000 were booked.

---

In the first few weeks after booking the flights, I found things to be very overwhelming. As usual, there were outlandish ideas about taking a train across the US, doing as many NBA games as possible but the more I talked to my friends, acquaintances over here, the easier things got. Who isn’t going to feel overwhelmed by 18 days in a country that could easily be a continent?

The NBA schedule came overnight on 14th August, and since then I’ve been able to formulate a plan of sorts. It’s difficult to get the balance right, I could have done with flying back from the east coast, but you work with what you’ve got.

THE PLAN 

Thursday 16th January: Arrive in New York City

Friday 17th January to Tuesday 21st January in New York. Brooklyn Nets v Milwaukee Bucks on 18th. Tentative plans for NHL on 19th at Madison Square Garden.

Wednesday 22nd January: Bus to Boston.

Wednesday 22nd January to Friday 24th January: Stay in Boston, Boston Celtics v Memphis Grizzlies on 22nd.

Friday 24th/Saturday 25th: Either an overnight or an early morning bus to Philadelphia.

Saturday 25th January to Sunday 26th January: Weekend in Philadelphia. 76ers v Los Angeles Lakers on 26th.

Monday 27th January: Bus to DC.

Monday 27th January to Friday 31st January: Stay in Washington DC. Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets on 30th. Tentative plans for NHL: Washington Capitals v Nashville Predators on 29th.

After this, things are up in the air. I want to see James Harden play basketball. Houston Rockets are at home on Friday 31st January. So I have choice of four:

A) Initial plan: Fly to LA on Friday 31st, fly out of LA on Monday 3rd.

B) Fly to Houston on 31st, watch the Rockets, fly to LA the next morning and do Clippers v TWolves at lunchtime. It is possible!

C) Fly to Houston on 31st, watch the Rockets, fly to LA the next morning. Fly out on 3rd.

D) Fly to LA on Saturday 1st February instead, and avoid Rockets or Clippers games, the most unlikely!

I have to admit, I’m not 100% bothered about LA at this stage. There’s going to be a lot of flying if I do get a ticket for the Rockets v Dallas Mavericks.

---

140 days to go, let’s see what happens! I already have my ESTA approval and several hostels booked along with 3 of my NBA tickets. I can’t wait!

 

Tom

We are now around the halfway period of the second phase of the CPBL season and I’m pleased that I’m now back on track with my posts.

Uni Lions v Lamigo Monkeys – Tues/Wed/Thurs in Tainan

A three-game series with the Thursday game being rearranged from it’s original date in July due to rain.

On Tuesday Lamigo took game one with a convincing 7-2 victory, 6 runs in the middle 3 innings gave Alec Asher his 4th loss of the season. The Lions struggled with the bat, suffering an incredible 16 strike outs, 13 at the hands of Radhames Liz who has been on absolute fire as of late.

Things changed on Wednesday and Thursday with the Lions taking the series, a 2-2 tie was broken in the 8th courtesy of Lin An-ke as the Lions won 4-2. Thursday’s game was dramatic. Uni Lions destroyed Matt Grimes early to take a 5-0 lead after 2 only to be pulled back to 6-6 after 4. A run apiece more took the game into effective sudden death in the 9th, and with no score in the 9th or 10th, the game entered inning 11. Hung Xin-chi struck out three after Lin An-ke pulled off back to back MvPs with a 1 out single to bring Kuo Chun-wei home and give the Lions an 8-7 walk-off home win.

Fubon Guardians v Chinatrust Brothers – Thursday in Taichung

Wednesday’s game was called off due to rain but Thursday’s game went ahead. Mitch Lively bounced back from his poor showing as a reliever last time out with a dominant display this time around. 7H, 3R over 7.1 had Brothers in a good position at 6-3 up. The relievers took over and despite a minor scare, Brothers survived the 8th 6-4 up. CC Lee got the save and Brothers took the 6-4 win.

Lamigo Monkeys v Chinatrust Brothers – Fri/Sat/Sun in Taichung

All eyes on this series, with Brothers leading the Monkeys by 0.5 in the 2nd phase.

In Friday’s game Brothers thrashed the Monkeys 11-3 in front of 8611. Lin Chih-sheng was the difference-maker as he hit 2 home runs in 3H, 8RBI display. His 2nd homer put Brothers 6-3 ahead, and Brothers scored a further five off Huang Wei-cheng and Hung Sheng-qin, 11-3 and an impressive win indeed.

This was followed up with the series clincher, and another head-turning 8 run win. They condemned Lamigo to their third straight series defeat that has put their 2nd phase title hopes on the rocks. 4 Brothers home runs, with 1 from Lin Chih-sheng, 2 from Su Wei-da and 1 from Zhang Chih-hao all came off starter Wang Wei-chun. Just 1 run off 10 hits from the Monkeys who succumbed to a 9-1 defeat.

On Sunday Lamigo brought out their trump card, Radhames Liz for his appearance of the week. He recorded his 6th win in a row, restricting Brothers to 3 hits over 5.2. It was a tight game with Chen Chen-wei hitting both RBIs in a 2-1 Monkeys win. Wang Sheng-wei scored Brothers only run courtesy of a homer in the bottom of the 7th.

Brothers are now 1.5 ahead of Lamigo Monkeys at the top of the second phase title.

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions – Fri/Sat/Sun at Tianmu

In a very rare occurrence, for the second straight weekend, the Uni Lions fan who writes this very round-up was unable to attend either Uni Lions game!

Friday’s match at Tianmu was one to forget if you are of Lions persuasion, but one to remember for those who are Fubon fans. Josh Roenicke took on Mike Loree on the mound, one had a disastrous game, the other one didn’t. Roenicke gave up 10H, 7R over 5.2 as the Lions were thrashed 11-2. Loree gave up 4H, 1R which is pretty standard fare for him against the Lions. Not a night to remember for the Lions with every Fubon starting hitter making a hit.

Saturday’s game saw Pan Wei-lun once again attempt to get his 141st and CPBL record tieing win. He got it as he took on Bryan Woodall who has just 2 wins from 21 games this year. Early runs put the Lions 5-1 up after 4. There was a wobble as Fubon hit back with 3 runs to make it 5-4. Nerves were quickly settled as the Lions scored 4 of their own to lead 9-4, and then 1 more in the 5th made it 10-4. The Lions relievers took over after the 5th and did their thing, give up runs. The 10-4 lead was reduced to 10-8 but the Tainan based side held on. It’s Pan Wei-lun’s first win since 26th May.

Sunday’s game saw the Lions record their second successive series victory and record their first winning week since 28th May-2nd June. It was a simple thing too, Su Chih-chieh hit a homer in the first and a three-run homer in the second to give the Lions a 4-0 lead. Yu Meng-kuai hit a 2RBI shot in the 7th as Fubon managed just 2 runs off 12 hits.

Fubon are now 3.0 behind Brothers and Uni Lions 7.5 behind, 4.5 behind Fubon. Fubon either need themselves or Lamigo Monkeys to win the second phase to have a shot at the play-offs. Brothers are looking impressive and hard to stop.

---

Brothers: 20-14

Monkeys: 19-16

Guardians: 17-17

Lions: 13-22

---

This week’s schedule

Monkeys v Guardians at Xinzhuang on Tues/Wed at 6:35pm

Brothers v Lions at Chengcing Lake on Wed/Thurs at 6:35pm

Brothers v Guardians at Xinzhuang on Fri at 6:35, Sat/Sun at 5:05

Lions v Monkeys at Taoyuan on Fri at 6:35, Sat/Sun at 5:05.

Since I first came to Taiwan in September 2015 the east coast has always been alluring to me. At first, it felt like the mountains, the towns and lush greenery of the east coast was like a faraway land. The mountains of Taiwan really do feel like a barrier between the populated, crowded west coast and the pretty paradise that is the east. As the crow flies, Tainan and Hualien are separated by just 182km or 113 miles, the shortest route around via Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung is over double that. After 6 visits to the east coast, it still holds that appeal but doesn’t feel quite so distant anymore.

Every year when the baseball schedule is released I always look for the Hualien games first. There is the same problem every year as I always talk about in these posts, the need to be mindful of the weather but I have to book a ticket on Sunday’s last train and a hostel in advance. In my two previous baseball trips to Hualien, I hadn’t had an issue with the weather.

This year there was a new problem, it’s August. I work mornings in August and at first glance, I said to myself, “No, it’s too much to attempt Hualien this year.” These words of wisdom to myself were ignored come late July when I booked the match tickets, hostel and train out on the Sunday evening.

Come Friday evening, I was tired and for once managed a few hours sleep before the inevitable alarm. I woke up at 4:45am with no idea how I was getting to Hualien. I had initially looked at an overnight trip, then wanted to get the train to Hualien at 6:30am, but I’d seen it had obviously sold out. The other idea was bus to Taipei then direct train to Hualien. There is one missing option, the combo ticket. The TRA had put back the mid-afternoon local train from Luodong to Hualien by about an hour, which left a 5-hour gap in the timetable and rendered the combo useless for me.

I went on the TRA website, put in Tainan to Hualien, and oh wow, really? There was a seat or seats available on the 0630 Tainan to Hualien train. I booked it but needed to pick it up by 6am. I got out of my slumber and was away by 5:30am. The roads were quiet, and I was able to pick up my ticket and grab some drinks well before 6am.

I didn’t sleep much on the boring section of the ride, through to Taitung and instead got an hour’s sleep between Taitung and Hualien, the most beautiful part of the journey. I did still manage to get some photos though…

 

For a 5 hour 20 journey, it went quite smoothly but immediately after getting off the train, there was an overwhelming feeling of heat. It took about 30 minutes for me to realise, I wasn’t going to get to Qixingtan beach and back as I’d just missed the last bus there for about 1 hour 30. I walked around a little and ended up in a 7 Eleven until 2:20pm. It was around 38C and really sticky, those are not conditions you want to be out in.

2:20pm and I knew I needed to get a sim-card for my new phone that had arrived on Thursday, I finally got fed up with not having a camera and had ordered a new LG G7. I’ve notoriously only had a sim for about 2 months of my time here but wanted one for the new phone. I eventually got it sorted and walked down to the hostel, where check-in would be open around 3.

I arrived at 3:10pm and the door was locked, staff eventually turning up about 3:30pm who then had to get their boss, to check me in. It seemed all a bit odd, and standing outside in high 30s heat wasn’t pleasant…

A quick wash and I walked up to the train station to get a taxi to the stadium. I was simply not walking in that heat, the 7-minute journey costing NT$155. I had wanted to get to the stadium early with Hualien having no reserved seats, the last two years, people have arrived as the gates opened, dumped their bags down and disappeared! I thought I was too late arriving at 4:10 but managed to get a reasonable seat.

 

I immediately noticed the changes to the stadium, with now a stage for the cheerleaders and red/blue seats replacing the orange/green ones. The bullpen area had been improved with a roof over it, it felt like a much better stadium.

Pre-game I saw a lot of Lions fans who I knew, which is in contrast to previous years where I’d seen almost nobody I knew! Quite a lot of Tainan based Lions and that was good to see as the atmosphere with mainly Hualien based fans hasn’t always been great.

The game got going pitting Michael Nix of Lamigo Monkeys against Pan Wei-lun of the Uni Lions. Sadly as a Lions fan, this game was a complete disaster as Lamigo took an early 1-0 lead and Michael Nix was in superb form. At 5-0 down in the top of the 9th, it wouldn’t have been such a bad defeat but Lamigo added 5 more runs to go 10-0 up. By the bottom of the 7th, I felt the shut-out was inevitable and so it proved. A 10-0 loss and I was left licking my wounds somewhat, as I made the 35-minute walk back to the hostel.

 

I got back, had another few beers which was probably a bit silly as I didn’t end up going to sleep until 1am.

I slept well and woke to find cleaners in the room at 9:30am, so got myself up and at the bus station to find I’d just missed the 10am bus to Qixingtan beach. A 50-minute wait ensured and that was eventful with a tout trying to persuade me to go with him in his taxi. I nearly said yes as I couldn’t be bothered waiting so long but had second thoughts and backed out once I realised it was unmarked. It didn’t feel right.

I got off the bus at Qixingtan about 1125 and had roughly 3 hours to enjoy my favourite place in Taiwan. It was slightly cooler than the previous day but I saw my suncream was out of date, I didn’t want to risk it. I had had severe burns on Qixingtan beach in 2017 which almost saw me admitted to hospital, I was not keen on repeating that. A quick Google Maps check showed me there was a Family Mart about 10 minutes walk away.

379NT for a small bottle suncream was painful on the wallet but not as painful as the sunburn would be! I slowly worked my way back to where I started, picked up a coconut and water for 180NT (which seemed expensive!) and headed for my favourite spot on the beach.

 

Where the mountains reach the sea, there is peace and serenity.

I think those words sum up Qixingtan nicely,  Qixingtan feels like a piece of paradise, even more so than much of the rest of the east coast. The mountains descend through the clouds and crash down into the Pacific Ocean. The water is crystal clear and the rocks on the beach feel like stepping on hot coals…

I slipped off my shoes and for the first time at Qixingtan, the rocks and stones were genuinely roasting hot. I had to lay down a layer of clothes as you simply couldn’t sit on the beach without the feeling you were starting to cook ever so slightly. Yet, of course, this did not detract from the beauty of the beach or even distract me! It was a slight quirk to the outing.

I spent about 2 hours 30 laid down, occasionally paddling in the water. The relaxing feeling I get from Qixingtan is not matched anywhere else on this island partly because other beaches are more touristy (I’m looking at you Kenting), only perhaps Baishawan in Kenting takes my breath away as much.

 

I picked up some food and waited for the bus back to Hualien City, confusingly the bus stop on the Hualien bound side said waiting across the road… So a crowd of us waited by that bus stop, and of course, once the bus rolled up at 3:10, we all had to dash across the road. The sign was wrong in both English and Chinese…

Back in Hualien and I sat outside 7 Eleven where I had a Lamigo fan/official, with a lanyard ask for a photo. Bored, I got in a taxi as I was simply wasting phone battery, something I’d had been doing at the stadium anyway.

Pre-match, nothing felt out the ordinary. I just didn’t want the Lions to lose too badly, Lamigo Monkeys are a top team and I posted on Facebook another defeat was coming. I’m notorious for saying things that turn out to be completely wrong and…

Matt Grimes v Ryan Verdugo on the mound, one pitcher would last an inning, the other wouldn’t need to do anything special and would get the win. In my 4 years and 163 games watching the Lions, Lamigo Monkeys had always been this thorn in the side. I’d twice seen them hit double figures in an inning v the Lions, I’d seen him double figures against us 9 times but never had I seen us hit 10 v them in a regular-season game, after 38 attempts.

Lamigo were swatted away within minutes. They did nothing in the top of the first and then Matt Grimes and the Monkeys fielders proceeded to have a horrow show. 5 hits, 5 runs and 2 errors put the Lions firmly in control.

A run back made it 5-1 before Grimes gave up 2 more hits and was prompted removed. His replacement gave away 2 quick hits and the Lions led 7-1 after 2 innings. Already I was thinking, will today be 10?

 

The answer was a resounding yes! This became one of the most memorable nights I’ve ever had watching the Uni Lions, this was paradise, this was something quite special. This was a night where the 2019 Lions slogan “PROUD” was something I felt.

Two more runs followed in the 4th. 9-1 Lions. Elation turned to ecstasy as the 5th inning brought about that magic 10. A walk, a hit, Lin Jing-kai, SINGLE! 10-1 LIONS! Next man up, half Argentine/half Taiwanese Lin An-ke at the plate… HOME RUN! 13-1 LIONS! Rookie home run, this was just crazy and with 0 outs. The next thought was just how many would be hit…

An out followed by another man getting to base, and Su Chih-chieh GOING DEEP, GOING, GOING, GONEEEE! 15-1 LIONS! 2 more to base… no… oh, two outs followed. 6 runs in the inning but now the thought was on the train back, the game could only last 4 hours 5 at most, I was wondering whether I’d miss anything at the end. I was not the only one in this position.

Into the bottom of the 6th, Kao Kuo-ching was ground out but got the RBI, Su Chih-chieh then hit his second home run of the game to make it a ridiculous 17-1 Lions…

Just then I realised the Lions had a bullpen and not a good one. 4 home runs in the game but we ended up with 9. Lamigo pulled it back to a mere 17-3. Lin Jing-kai’s RBI made it 18-3 before Chen Chun-chiu hit a solo homer and Kuo Yun-wen hit a two-run shot to make it 18-6, the gloss was starting to be taken off things.

Su Chih-chieh then went back to back to back with his third homer of the night in the bottom of the 8th. Two more homers followed, Chu Yu-hsien made it 19-7 and I left at this point, knowing I had 33 minutes until the train. Just as I left, Chen Chun-chiu made it 19-8 with the game’s 9th home run. There would be no further score as it ended Lamigo Monkeys 8-19 Uni Lions.

I walked away in complete disbelief,  the most runs I have seen in a game,  the most home runs and certainly the best game of baseball I’d ever seen.

I got back to Hualien station having picked up a few beers along the way, the journey taking about 25 minutes via a convenience store for beer. I only managed three on the journey north to Taipei. I didn’t get a good selfie at the game, but maybe this shot from the train, sums up my feelings…

I got back to Taipei and got to 0020 bus back to Tainan. I slept a little bit, having finished off my last beer. Key in lock around 5am, a long arduous weekend trip but great fun as usual. It’s nice to write about Hualien as always.

2100+ words and that’s me done on this grey, rainy miserable Sunday afternoon in Tainan.

Tom

It’s finally time to look back at the CPBL action between Tuesday 13th and Sunday 18th August.

Uni Lions v Chinatrust Brothers – Tues 13th and Wed 14th in Hualien

7 games in Hualien for Uni Lions and 5 defeats. Chinatrust Brothers were the designated home team for this series, the final one in Hualien and won both games.

On Tuesday, Elih Villenueva got the better of Alec Asher, as despite giving up 11 hits over 8, Villanueva only conceded 2 runs. The Lions struggled to get their runners home again, Brothers made 5 runs off their 7 hits with 3 runs coming off homers. It ended 5-2 Brothers.

Wednesday’s game saw the sides once again separated by 3 runs, this time Jiang Chen-yen pitched for the Lions and gave up 5 runs in his 4 innings. Brothers led 5-1 after those 4, and never looked like throwing away the lead, it got as close as 5-3 before 2 run homer from Chen Tzu-hao sealed it. Lions 4-7 Brothers was how it finished.

Fubon Guardians v Lamigo Monkeys – Wed 14th and Thurs 15th in Taoyuan

Wednesday’s game was a showdown between pitching heavyweights Mike Loree and Radhames Liz, but not for the first time this year, Lamigo dominated Loree. They took a 6-3 lead after 5 innings, but Liz didn’t last much longer, as Fubon pulled it back to 6-5 by the middle of the 6th. 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th put Lamigo 9-5 up and they wouldn’t look back. 2 runs apiece followed, it finished: Guardians 7 Monkeys 11.

Thursday’s game was a somewhat tighter affair and you have to feel for Fubon. They made 14 hits to Lamigo’s 7 yet still managed to lose the game. Fubon went 2-1 up early before Lin Li’s 5th inning grand slam put the Monkeys up 5 runs to 2. The game was tied at 5-5 as Fubon’s reliever Lin Yi-hao came to the mound, he conceded 2 runs, 2 walks and a HBP on Lin Hung-yu which strangely resulted in the winning RBI! One more run followed and it ended 7-5 Monkeys.

Chinatrust Brothers v Lamigo Monkeys – Fri 16th, Sat 17th and Sun 18th in Taoyuan

A huge Friday evening crowd of 13,617 watched Lamigo Monkeys beat Brothers in what was another weird CPBL game. Lamigo took an early 3-0 lead, and extend it to 5-0 in the 7th. Casey Harman giving away 5 runs, but only 2 earned. Wang Yi-cheng fairly rather better, 10 hits and 0 runs conceded. Brothers would score a solitary late run, as Wang moved to a crazy 11-2 record despite an ERA of 4.34. Brothers 1-5 Monkeys the final score.

Saturday’s game was decided late, in front of a slightly lower crowd of 13,034. Neither Liao Yi-zhong or Matt Grimes had any impact on this one, with the 3-2 Brothers after 6. They extended their lead to 5-2 only for the Monkeys to rally and hit 5 of their own in the bottom of the 7th. All 5 runs came off… Mitch Lively who has been one of Brothers best pitchers. The game wasn’t done there, as Brothers scored 3 in the top of the 8th to led 8-7. No fight back this time, and it finished 8-7.

Sunday’s game resulted in another shock Monkeys home loss. Elih Villanueva made his second start of the week, something out of necessity due to Brothers total lack of Taiwanese starters. He was once again, solid. 1 run and 4 hits over 7 innings as Brothers built a 9-1 lead. Guan Da-yuan conceded 3 runs in the 8th but it had no impact, Brothers 9 Monkeys 4 was how it ended.

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians – Fri 16th, Sat 17th, Sun 18th at Xinzhuang

Ahh, the Uni Lions, once again finished the week with a series defeat against play-off chasers Fubon Guardians. Friday’s game resulted in their only win of the week in a matchup between Roenicke and Woodall. Both starters were solid, Woodall only giving up 2 runs in his 5 innings but it didn’t matter. Roenicke pitched 7, giving away 3 and took the W as Pan Wu-hsiang’s 2 RBI double put the Lions 4-3 up in the top of the 8th. Chen Yun-wen got the save and the Lions got a 4-3 win.

Saturday’s game was a dull affair as Uni Lions Pan Wei-lun attempted to tie the CPBL wins record for the 9th time. He pitched well, 9 hits, 2 runs in a really good 7 innings but he took the loss as his visiting Lions only managed one run. Fubon bouncing back with a 3-1 win.

Sunday’s match was rain-delayed and it was another tepid display with the bat from the Tainan side. Just 4 hits and 2 runs over the 9 innings, Fubon went 3-2 up in the 5th and put the game beyond reach with runs in the 7th and 8th. Yu Ting-wei with another good pitching display for the home side and he goes 4-1 for the season.

---

This is how the standings looked on Sunday 18th August…

Lamigo – 17-12

Brothers – 17-13

Guardians – 16-14

Lions – 9-20

If Lamigo win the second phase, Fubon and Brothers will play a best of 5 series. If Fubon or Brothers win the phase, they will face Lamigo in the Taiwan Series.

The round-up from the week gone by will be published on time on Monday/Tuesday as I am only working 10 hours this coming week.

Tom

In the last couple of weeks I have been busy working in the mornings, which took a lot of my free time up. There were other issues as well, so let’s have a look at the last two of the last three weeks of CPBL action. Week 21 will follow in the coming days, the initial plan had been to do this on Monday 19th but sadly, I didn’t get round to it.

Week 19

Uni Lions v Lamigo Monkeys – 30th/31st July in Taoyuan

Once again, Lamigo Monkeys beat Uni Lions but it was a bit tighter than usual. Tuesday’s game ended 3-2 to Lamigo, Josh Roenicke having a quality start giving up 6H, 3R over 7 but Lamigo’s pitchers limited the Lions to 6H, 2R on the night. A close game that could have gone either way.

The Lions bullpen again had its issues on Wednesday 31st, Alec Asher conceded just 2H and 0R over his opening 4 as the Lions lead 3-0 after 4. 5 runs conceded in the 5th and Lamigo would go onto win 7-3. Lin Li, Chu Yu-hsien and Lan Yin-lun together got all 7 RBIs.

Chinatrust Brothers v Fubon Guardians – 31st July/1st Aug at Xinzhuang

Wednesday’s game pitted Elih Villanueva against Mike Loree and it was the seasoned CPBL veteran who came out on top. Villanueva took his first loss of the season, conceding 7 hits, 6 runs (3 earned) as Loree and the Guardians bullpen restricted Brothers to just hit 2 runs and 4 hits, final score: Brothers 2 Guardians 7.

Thursday’s game was similar as Brothers made just 3 hits off You Ting-wei, the young Guardians pitcher making up for a horror show outing last time he started. Fubon hitters did what they needed to do as the home side came away comfortable 5-0 winners.

Lamigo Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – 2nd/3rd/4th Aug at Xinzhuang

A series match-up between the two sides likely to be competing in the Championship Series come October.

Lamigo ran away winners in the Friday game. Tied at 4-4 after 5, Lamigo broke the deadlock and went onto score 10 more runs. Every Lamigo starting hitter except Chen Chen-wei managed a hit.

The weekend games were closer and split. Saturday’s game saw Bryan Woodall take his 10th loss of the campaign, it’s been a tough, tough year for the experienced pitcher. Lamigo Monkeys won 5-2

Sunday saw Lamigo yet again score in the middle innings to go 3-2 ahead after 7. Wang Chung-tung stopped the sweep with a pinch-hit, 2 RBI shot in the bottom of the 8th. The lead would hold and Fubon won 4-3.

Chinatrust Brothers v Uni Lions – 2nd/3rd/4th Aug in Tainan

You have to feel for Uni Lions fans, especially those of who came in the weekend having watched them lose 9 straight games. Friday’s game was cancelled was shifted to Sunday lunchtime. That run of 9 defeats in a row for yours truly became 10.

Casey Harman pitched well and restricted the Lions to just 7 hits and a solitary run over 6.2. There were 5 early runs ( 2 earned) for Brothers who led 5-0 after 3 and a comeback didn’t ever look likely. Brothers eased to a 6-1 win.

So to Sunday, a rare Tainan double-header. Game 1: 16 hits but just 4 runs with 15 runners left on bases was the story of the afternoon for the Lions. Things started well, 3-2 Lions after 4 but 3 runs in the 5th put Brothers 5-3 ahead. Ryan Verdugo came out to pitch the final 4 innings and he once again struggled, giving up 8H, 4R including 2 big homers. Brothers 9 Lions 4, was the final score.

Game 2 saw Josh Roenicke make his 2nd start of the week and he conceded a quick 2 run homer to Lin Chih-sheng in the top of the 1st… That was as bad as it got for the Lions who dominated Brothers youngster Liao Yi-zhong with 11 hits and 7 runs in the opening 5. A good all-round hitting display by the Lions as the game ended Brothers 4-10 Uni Lions and a losing week was avoided.

The standings after week 19:

Fubon 12-8

Lamigo 11-8

Brothers 10-10

Lions 6-13

 

Week 20

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions – 7th/8th Aug in Hualien

The CPBL went to Hualien for the first time this season and the first series of three involving Uni Lions was split. Uni Lions took an early 5-1 lead in the match-up between Alec Asher and Mike Loree. Fubon tied the game, in the top of the 5th and went 6-5 ahead with both runs off Jiang Cheng-feng. They would not relinquish the lead, and won 10-5.

Thursday’s game was a nailbiter with the score 5-5 after 7. Fubon went back ahead in the top of the 8th, only for Su Chih-chieh to get a 2 RBI single to put the Lions 7-6 up. The game was then suspended for 40 minutes due to heavy rain, Chen Yun-wen got the save and the Lions got the 7-6 win.

Lamigo Monkeys v Chinatrust Brothers – 6th/7th August at Taichung IC.

Lamigo Monkeys leading 6-2 after 6 innings usually means the game is safe, and there won’t be a fightback. No-one told the Monkeys bullpen this, as all six pitchers conceded and Brothers ended up winning 12-6 with 10 runs in the 7th and 8th innings.

On Wednesday 7th, Lamigo went 3-0 ahead in the top of the 1st and this was all they needed to do. Brothers were restricted to 6 hits, and a run in each the 3rd and 4th, Monkeys 3-2 Brothers was how it finished.

Fubon Guardians v Chinatrust Brothers – 10th/11th August at Tianmu.

This was a series where one side dominated either way in all three games. Friday’s game was cancelled due to rain and rearranged for Sunday lunchtime.

Saturday’s match saw Corey Bollinger against Casey Harman on the mound, with Harman coming out on top. He pitched a superb 7 innings with only 3 hits against him, Bollinger conceded 4 and Brothers would add 4 more after his departure. Kao Kuo-hui’s 9th inning run was a mere consolation.

In the Sunday lunchtime game, Brothers once again restricted Fubon Guardians with the bat. Liao Yi-zhong starred, just the 3 hits given up over 8 innings. Brothers hit four solo home runs as they came away 5-0 winners.

The Sunday evening match saw Mitch Lively have a shocking start, conceding 2 in each of first 3 innings. Fubon has no issues defending their lead, Chih Shih-peng with a dominant shut-out over the opening 7 innings. It ended Fubon Guardians 8 Chinatrust Brothers 1.

Lamigo Monkeys v Uni Lions – 9th/10th/11th August in Hualien.

Like the above series, one side had their way in two games and then the other had their own bit of fun in the 3rd game of the weekend.

Things started well for Uni Lions on Friday, 4-1 up after 4 then things fell off a cliff. Josh Roenicke and Liao Wen-yang the guilty parties, 9 runs in the 5th and 6th with a run apiece after that. Monkeys 10-5 Uni Lions.

Michael Nix produced his second shutout of the season as Lamigo Monkeys once again reinforced their stranglehold over the Uni Lions in 2019. The Lions had no answer to a Monkeys side who hit 4 home runs in a 15 hit, 10-0 mauling.

Revenge came swiftly as on Sunday we got one of the most unexpected results of the 2019 CPBL season. Uni Lions came out and took apart Matt Grimes, 5-0 Lions after 1 inning, Monkeys scored to make 5-1 in the top of the 2nd, Grimes came back out, conceded 2 more runs and was finished after 1.0 and 40 pitches. The fun didn’t stop there, as the Uni Lions completely and utterly savaged the Monkeys bullpen to lead 17-1 after 6 innings.

Of course, that wouldn’t be the end of the scoring as Uni Lions bullpen has been weak at best in 2019. Lamigo Monkeys hit 4 home runs in the last two innings to add to the Lions 5 homers, and we ended with 27 runs, it finished Lamigo Monkeys 8 Uni Lions 19 (NINETEEN)

---

As it stood, this was the table looked on Sunday 11th August.

Lamigo 14-10

Fubon 14-11

Brothers 13-12

Uni Lions 8-16

 

Thanks for the patience,

Tom!

Just two games for each side last week, so this will be a shorter report than usual. I will be splitting this by series to see if this style works better.

Chinatrust Brothers v Lamigo Monkeys

So both sides had swept their weekend series so something had to give in Taoyuan. What happened on Tuesday was completely unexpected as Chinatrust Brothers became the first away side in 3 years to score 20 runs. The last side to do that was Uni Lions who beat Brothers 22-13 in Luodong in 2016. This game was not as close as Brothers romped to a 20-5 victory.

Brothers set the tone in the 2nd inning with 8 runs and by the end of the 4th were already 14-3 ahead. They won efficiently with the 20 runs coming off 21 hits with Chen Tzu-hao scoring three home runs. Admittedly this came against some of Lamigo’s lesser pitchers such as Wang Wei-chun, Jiang Guo-qian and Yeh Chia-chi. All five pitchers conceded multiple times. A bit of a lesson for the Lamigo youngsters.

Wednesday was the reverse as Lamigo led 12-2 after 5 innings and would go on to win 12-5. Lamigo shredded new Brothers pitcher Casey Harman who had started his CBPL career without conceding a run, on this occasion he lasted 3.2 with stats of 11H, 8R and 3 homers. Lamigo made 17 hits and 4 homers on the night, the in-form Lin Li with 4 hits/1HR of his own.

Brothers are 8-7 in the 2nd phase. Lamigo Monkeys are 7-7.

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians

This series was less run intensive but like the other series was split. Sunday’s loss at Brothers was cruel for Uni Lions, Wednesday’s was worse. Josh Roenicke gave up just 3 hits and a run in 6 innings, but the hitters couldn’t find a way past Bollinger and the two Fubon relievers. 5 hits for the Lions but no runs, as a result, Fubon Guardians came away 1-0 winners. The Lions on the receiving end of a shut-out for the 3rd time in 4 games.

Thursday saw Ryan Verdugo take on Mike Loree. A pitcher under pressure and without a win in 8 starts v the one pitcher no-one likes facing. A team under pressure v a side sitting top of the CPBL 2nd phase table. Of course, any preconceptions about this game went out the window, this is the CPBL. Loree gave up 7H, 7R despite striking 9 out in his opening 5. As for Ryan Verdugo, just 5H and 1R given away in 6 innings. A comfortable 8-1 win for Uni Lions as the bullpen didn’t even concede a hit, one of those good CPBL nights for the Lions.

Fubon stayed top, 9-6 whilst Uni Lions remain cut adrift, 3.5 games back with a 5-9 record.

This week’s schedule

Uni Lions v Lamigo Monkeys – Tues/Wed at 6:35pm in Taoyuan.

Chinatrust Brothers v Fubon Guardians – Wed/Thurs at 6:35pm at Xinzhuang.

Lamigo Monkeys v Fubon Guardians – Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm at Xinzhuang.

Chinatrust Brothers v Uni Lions – Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm in Tainan.

The second full week of the second phase is already complete and the CPBL’s All-Star game is at Xinzhuang Stadium in New Taipei City this weekend.

Chinatrust Brothers

Why not start with the most successful team from this past week?

On Tuesday Brothers took on Fubon at ‘home’ in Kaohsiung and despite a tense 7 inning battle between Mitch Lively and Bryan Woodall on the mound, Brothers prevailed. Lively gave up just 7H, 1BB in his 7 as Brothers led 1-0, then scored 5 runs in the 8th in an eventual 6-1 win.

Wednesday’s game was the only downside to Brothers week and it was a topsy turvy game, to say the least. Fubon led 6-4 after 8 innings, increased their lead to 7 before a bottom of the 9th comeback sent the game to a 10th. Chen Bo-hao gave up his second run in the top of the 10th and this time, they’d be no comeback, final score: Guardians 8-7 Brothers.

The weekend series against Uni Lions looked to be an enticing match-up between the CPBL’s weakest two sides in 2019. Instead of a great match-up, Brothers completely dominated.

On Friday, new pitcher Casey Harman gave up just one hit in 6 innings as Brothers combined for a 3 hit shut-out. Final score: Lions 0-4 Brothers.

Saturday saw rookie Liao Yi-zhong pitch an astonishing 120 times over 8 innings, he gave up 4 runs early on as Brothers led 9-4 after 4 innings. He would give away just 1 more run in the 8th as his side cruised to a 10-6 win.

Talking of cruising, Mitch Lively was given his second start of the week on Sunday and once again, Brothers had a combined shut-out. This time around, Brothers conceded 5 hits rather 3 and scored 16 rather 4! The mauling began with Su Wei-da’s grand slam in the 2nd and Brothers relentlessly gnawed away at the Lions pitchers. That final score for a second time: Lions 0-16 Brothers. Astonishing.

Brothers are 7-6, a game behind Fubon Guardians.

Lamigo Monkeys

The Taoyuan based Monkeys started the second phase a bit slow and that continued on Wednesday evening in Tainan against Uni Lions. The scores were locked at 0-0 after 3 before a mid-game explosion from the hosts, Lions would score 9 runs in 4 innings and go on to complete a 9-4 win.

Thursday’s game was off due to rain and the Monkeys went into the weekend series 3-6 against the 8-2 Guardians. Like the other series, this looked very appetising, like the other series, one side completely dominated.

On Friday Kuo Yun Wen was the star player with a 3 run homer in the 4th and a 3 run double in the 8th in an 11-3 Monkeys win.

Saturday’s game was bit closer but regular runs put Lamigo 4-0 ahead after 6. Fubon got within 2 before the home side’s hitters quite regained control. The final score: Guardians 3-8 Monkeys. Interestingly, first phase MVP Chu Yu-hsien was the only Monkeys player NOT to make a hit!

The series ended with a second 11-3 win. Wang Yi-cheng pitched a solid 6 innings giving up 7H, 2R but his job was made easier in the opening 1.1 innings. Lamigo destroyed You Ting-wai, scoring 7 runs in that opening 1.1 and led 8-0 after 2, going on to complete the aforementioned 11-3 win.

Lamigo Monkeys are 6-6, 1.5 games behind Fubon Guardians.

Fubon Guardians

It doesn’t take long for things to change in the CPBL and in Fubon Guardians last 5 games, that theory has been proved.

The week started with a trip to Chinatrust Brothers who were at home in Kaohsiung. Fubon ran into a solid Mitch Lively despite Bryan Woodall’s best outing of the season. Woodall conceded a single run in 7 innings and Fubon scored nothing against Lively. Brothers went onto win 6-1, and it looks like Bryan Woodall may well have pitched his last game as he is now 2-9 with an ERA over 5.

Wednesday’s game was a thriller and neither starting pitcher had any impact. Leading 7-4 going into the bottom of the 9th the usually reliable Chen Hong-wen managed to concede 4 hits, 3 runs, blow the save and let the game go to a 10th. Still, he got his 4th win of 2019 as Fubon got the winning run in the top of 10th. Guardians 8-7 Brothers was how it ended. Baseball can be such a strange sport at times!

On Friday, Fubon were on the road again and this time they had the short trip to Taoyuan. Mike Loree on the mound but he picked his 5th loss of the year, giving up 5 runs over 7 innings. Lamigo hit 6 more runs after he departed, Guardians 3-11 Monkeys was how it finished.

Last Saturday Chen Shih-peng had a very good game against Uni Lions, this time around he struggled. 12 hits, 5 runs in the opening 4.1 saw Chen taken out the game. They were held to 0 by Radhames Liz in the opening 6 and never looked like getting back into it. Fubon would score 3 runs, but so would Lamigo, it ended Guardians 3-8 Monkeys.

You Ting-wai also had a fantastic game against Uni Lions last time around, but like Chen, he was dismantled, albeit in rather more brutal fashion. 8 hits, 7 runs in 44 pitches with just 1.1 innings pitched, ouch. Fubon never recovered and would go onto lose 11-3.

Fubon Guardians are now 8-6, just 1 game ahead of Chinatrust Brothers.

Uni Lions

What can you say about Uni Lions in 2019? This is a team, on pace to not even reach 50 wins.

The midweek series was halved as Thursday’s game was cancelled due to a torrential downpour mid-afternoon. Wednesday’s game was unaffected and resulted in a surprisingly comfortable victory. Josh Roenicke had his first start since May after suffering an abdominal injury and pitched for 5 innings, 6H, 2R, 1BB. His return would not have any impact on the game as scores were level after 5. The Lions would score 7 runs in the 6th and 7th innings and record a superb 9-4 victory.

The weekend was anything but superb. On paper it looked like Uni Lions v Brothers would be a good match-up, it wasn’t. On Friday in Taichung, Uni Lions made 3 hits and 3 errors in a 4-0 defeat.

Saturday rather summed up the season as a whole. Shih Tzu-chien had issues from the second inning, giving away 5H, 6R and 2BBs in his 3 innings as the Lions trailed 6-2. The score would be pulled back to 6-4, and crafty leftie Jiang Chen-yen was brought on, having not got his weekly start due to Thursday’s rain. 5H, 4R and 1BB in his three innings. Two Taiwanese starters who had had great 2018 seasons, but sadly, have just not been consistent in 2019. Trailing 10-4 after 6, a comeback always looked unlikely. Perhaps what made it worse for Lions fans is the fact Brothers rookie Liao Yi-zhong pitched 120 balls in 8 innings. It ended Lions 6-10 Brothers.

Sunday was the low point of the season of the Lions season. Pan Wei-lun has for his last six starts been chasing a record-equalling 141st CPBL win. Once Su Wei-da hit a 2nd inning grand slam, that seemed unlikely. The Lions struggled against Mitch Lively and the pitching may kindly be described as sub-par. Wang Yu-pu pitched 20 balls in the 6th, 6 hits, 5 runs (4 earned) and 0 outs, an inning where Brothers went from 5-0 ahead to 13-0 ahead. The game finished, Uni Lions 0 Chinatrust Brothers 16.

Uni Lions are 4-8 in the second phase, but more crucially now 4 games behind Brothers in the overall standings. If Lamigo Monkeys win the 2nd phase, 2nd and 3rd will play in the first round of the playoffs. Lions are 4th.

This week’s fixtures

Chinatrust Brothers v Lamigo Monkeys @ Taoyuan on Tues/Wed at 6:35pm.

Uni Lions v Fubon Guardians @ Xinzhuang on Wed/Thurs at 6:35pm

 

 

The first full week of second phase CPBL action is over so it is time to look at how the four teams got on.

Fubon Guardians

Why not start with the Guardians? They are clearly the team in form and finally look to have gained some consistency that they’ve lacked sorely over the last 18 months or so.

The midweek series at home to Lamigo Monkeys resulted in a sweep although Wednesday’s win was a tad fortuitous. With two on base, two outs, tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the 9th Ipong walked and then Lin Wei-Ting also walked to give the Guardians an 8-7 win.

Thursday’s game resulted in a slightly easier, less heart-stopping win. Fubon came from 2-0 behind to go 3-2 up in the 5th then added 4 more in the 7th inning. Ryan Bollinger had a quality start and is 3-1 in the CPBL.

The weekend series against Uni Lions was a bit odd. On Friday Mike Loree had a quality start of his own as Fubon led 4-1 after 6. Zhang Chun-Long and Fan Yu-Yu gave up 3 hits, 4 runs and a walk between them over 0.1 inning as the bullpen let this slip away. Lai Hong-Cheng also gave up 2 hits and a run of his own as Uni Lions went 6-4 ahead. No comeback from the hitters and Fubon lost their first game of the second phase 6-4.

Saturday’s game was a drab affair but Fubon’s pitchers had an impressive day on the mound. Just a single run and two hits were given up, and after breaking a 1-1 tie in the 5th, Fubon added 3 extra runs in the 8th to easily win 5-1.

Sunday was closer and more competitive. You Ting Wai had Fubon’s fourth consecutive quality start on the mound, giving up 6H, 1R over 7.0 innings. At 1-1 with 2 down in the top of the 9th the visiting Guardians quickly took apart Alec Asher and took a 2-1 lead that would hold thanks to Chen Hong Wen’s 11th save of the season, he now has a very impressive 1.07 ERA over 32 appearances.

Lamigo Monkeys

Just like in the first phase, Lamigo have started the second phase slowly. Their midweek trip to Xinzhuang Stadium was one without success. In a rare lapse, the usually reliable Huang Tzu Peng gave up 2 hits in the bottom of the 9th but managed to get two outs with the score locked at 7-7. Incredibly he then gave two walks, to give Fubon Guardians a walk-off home win.

Thursday’s game started reasonably well, leading 2-0 in the middle of the 5th against the Guardians. Things then went wrong…Michael Nix would end up giving away 5H, 6R and 4 walks. Fubon would go on to win 8-3.

A weekend trip to Taichung against Chinatrust Brothers seemed to be a good place to get back to form after three straight defeats. No? On Friday all the drama came late, as Lamigo scored 4 runs in the top of the 7th to come from 5-3 down to go 7-5 ahead. Huang Tzu Peng came to the mound and suddenly he had his 2nd loss in 3 nights, 2 hits, a walk and 3 runs over 0.1 put Brothers 8-7 ahead. The home side would score another run and win 9-7.

Radhames Liz was the latest Monkeys pitcher to have an unusually bad game on Saturday. 7H, 8R and 4BBs left Brothers 8-2 ahead after 5 innings and Lamigo never recovered, losing 10-6 with 4 of their runs in the top of the 9th.

Sunday and finally Lamigo Monkey’s luck changed. They dismantled Brothers reliever/starter Huang En Tzu, with 7 hits and 5 runs, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to end up taking a 6-4 victory.

Lamigo are 3-5 for the second phase, with their play-off place secure for the 3rd straight season, there is no cause for alarm.

Chinatrust Brothers

Brothers had a mixed week, going 3-2 and after being swept in the opening round, that’s progress.

On Tuesday they travelled to Chengcing Lake to take on Uni Lions, things didn’t quite go so well. Nick Additon started and over 3 innings he gave the Lions 6H and 6R with a walk, unfortunately for him, he was released the following day. On the hitting side of things, Brothers made just a run and got five hits as they fell to a 9-1 defeat.

Wednesday’s game that was moved to Thursday and there was regular scoring that resulted in the game locked at 6-6 after 8 innings. Neither side could score in the 9th but Chan Tzu Hsien brought home pinch-runner Lin Shu-Yi to put Brothers 7-6 ahead, Cheng Kai-Wen saw the game out and it was 7-6 victory.

The weekend series against Lamigo Monkeys went well. On Friday despite a bullpen wobble, Brothers came out on top. They had led 5-3 going into the 7th, but conceded 4 runs to go behind. They immediately followed it up with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th and grabbed a 9-7 win.

Saturday wasn’t expected to be easy, Radhames Liz has pitched well this year for Lamigo Monkeys but Brothers had fun at his expense, 8 runs in the opening 4.0 in an easy 10-6 win. Young starter Liao Yi-Zhong had a good game, giving up 9H, 2R over 4.2 and will probably stay in the first team.

Sunday was not a sweep of Lamigo Monkeys and young Huang En-Tzu had a disastrous appearance after Casey Harman’s debut went solidly. Harman only pitched 3 innings giving away 4H and no runs. Harman would usually have had a go in the second team but due to rain cancelling most recent second team games, go thrown straight into the first team. As for Huang, 7H, 5R over 2.2 resulted in Lamigo Monkeys turning a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead. Brothers went onto lose, 6-4.

So, 3-4 over 7 games to start the phase with leaves them level with Lamigo Monkeys and Uni Lions who are also 3-4.

Uni Lions

It was a mixed week for the Lions too and after beating Lamigo Monkeys in Taoyuan for the first time in 14 attempts, things carried over to Tuesday. Chen Chong Ting hit 5 RBIs in a convincing 9-1 win over Chinatrust Brothers in Kaohsiung. Shih Tzu Chien had a great outing, 4H, 1R over 6.2.

Wednesday’s game was rained out and rearranged for Thursday, but it went OK, until the 10th inning. Uni Lions had tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the 8th and after the game went to 10, Alec Asher gave up 2 hits and ultimately the winning run. Brothers edging this one 7-6.

Friday saw Mike Loree come to Tainan but he was a non-factor. Fubon’s relievers were in a generous mood, and the Lions went from 4-1 down to 6-4 ahead in the 7th inning. Ryan Verdugo started, Josh Roenicke made a relief appearance on his way back from injury (pardon the pun) and Alec Asher closed and got a save. 3 foreign pitchers for one team, in one game, a CPBL rarity. A 6-4 win for the Lions.

Zhuang Chun Kai’s first big league home run was the main Lions highlight in a poor game on Saturday. Just 2 hits for the Lions all evening as Fubon easily won 5-1.

Sunday’s game was tied at 1-1 in the top of the 9th, and after 4 pitches, 2 outs, things looked good for the Lions. Asher gave up three consecutive hits and as a result, what would turn out to be the winning run. 2 defeats, 2 saves in 5 appearances for the new Lions pitcher. Final score, Guardians 2 Lions 1.

Uni Lions are 3-4 after 7 games.

This week’s fixtures

Fubon Guardians v Chinatrust Brothers @ Chengcing Lake on Tues/Wed at 6:35pm

Lamigo Monkeys v Uni Lions @ Tainan Municipal on Wed/Thurs at 6:35pm

Uni Lions v Chinatrust Brothers @ Taichung I.C on Fri at 6:35pm and Sat/Sun at 5:05pm

Fubon Guardians v Lamigo Monkeys @ Taoyuan on Fri at 6:35pm and Sat/Sun at 5:05pm

So welcome to the second phase, there is one important question…will Lamigo Monkeys win their sixth consecutive phase and 3rd title in a row?

Uni Lions

For Lions fans going into the first week of the second phase, there was another question…would they finally break an 11 game losing streak in Taoyuan?

Friday’s game saw Ryan Verdugo head to the mound and he put in another below-par display. Verdugo gave up 6 hits, 6 runs in the opening 4 as the Lions went 6-0 down. Lo Guo Long made 4 hits in 5ABs and a comeback of sorts was mounted, but Lamigo were 7-4 winners.

Saturday’s game was more of the usual kind of Lions display in Taoyuan, play OK then concede a load of runs in one inning. 2-1 up, Jiang Chen-Yen began the collapse, 4 hits, 6 walks and he conceded 5 of Lamigo 7 in the 4th inning. 8-2 down after 4, Lamigo added two more in the 5th and 6th, Lions lost 12-2.

Sunday, was it to be the day? Uni Lions lead 2-0 going into the 7th before Fu Yu-Gang conceded a two-run homer to Lin Cheng-Fei. Was it a case of here we go again? No! Luo Guo-Long hit a two-run homer of his own off Lin Bai You to make it 4-2 in the top of the 9th and Lions newbie Alec Asher got the save! 13 consecutive defeats in Taoyuan, the run is over!

Chinatrust Brothers

From one first phase struggler to another, how did Brothers fare in their opening series of the second phase against Fubon Guardians?

The answer is not very well! On Friday they led 4-0 going into the bottom of the 6th inning only for Mitch Lively to give up the game losing Grand Slam to ex Brothers star, Chiang Chih-Hsien. It ended 5-4 Guardians.

Elih Villanueva had a quality start, giving up just a solitary hit and Brothers led 1-0 against Mike Loree and the Guardians after 6. The bullpen stuttered, Jiang Zhong-Cheng giving up a hit, 2 walks and ultimately the game, as he conceded 2 runs. Brothers couldn’t mount a fightback against Loree or Chen Hong-Wen and fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Sunday was now better, 1-0 up after 1 then went 3-1 down after 5 innings. 3 runs in the top of 6th tied it, but young starter Liao Yi Zhong gave up 2 more runs, as did reliever Chiu Pin Rui. Brothers were 8-4 down after the 6th and despite two quick runs back in the 7th, couldn’t manage anymore. Brothers 6-8 Guardians was how it ended.

Lamigo Monkeys

So the champions who have exerted plenty of dominance over Uni Lions this year. There has almost been a level of inevitability about this Monkeys side against the Lions this year and on Friday/Saturday, that continued.

On Friday, Lamigo took control over the game and hit regular runs against Ryan Verdugo to go 6-0 ahead, Liao Chien-Fu and Lin Li both hitting home runs. The game would end 7-4 but it was an efficient display, 7 runs off 8 hits and Chu Yu-Hsien and Lan Yin-Lun both struck out three times in three at-bats.

Saturday was a typical Lamigo win, give your opponent a little bit of hope and then proceed to savage them in one inning. Lions Jiang Chen Yen may well have helped, giving up 6 walks and only 4 hits, as Lamigo turned a 2-1 deficit into an 8-2 lead in the 4th. 4 more runs followed, and the result was a 13th consecutive home win over Uni Lions.

A rare off day came on Sunday, Lamigo failed to score in the opening 4 and only made 4 hits, going 2-0 down. Lin Li’s two-run blast levelled the game at 2-2 but the usually reliable Lin Bai-You gave up a two-run home run to Luo Guo Long. Lions closer Alec Asher saw the game out, and the Monkeys had lost. Just 2 runs, 5 hits and 3 errors, definitely an uncharacteristic display from the Monkeys.

Fubon Guardians

And so we turn to Fubon Guardians, who as you may have read above claimed a series victory over Chinatrust Brothers.

On Friday, a 4-0 deficit was quickly turned into a 5-4 lead in the 6th. Wang Chung-Tang’s RBI made it 4-1. Hu Jin-Long and Lin Yu-Chuan loaded the bases with 1 out before former Brothers star Chiang Chih-Hsien hit a grand slam and that was all they needed as Fubon ran out 5-4 winners.

Mike Loree put in a display you would typically find from someone like Mike Loree! He gave up 5 hits and 1 run in 8 innings, Fubon got only made a single hit off Villanueva but got 2 runs off Jiang Cheng-Zhong who gave up 2 walks and a hit. No more runs scored, Fubon won 2-1.

Sunday’s game was probably the most entertaining. The Guardians went 3-1 ahead before the bullpen gave up three runs as Brothers took a 4-3 lead in the top of 6th. It seemed to fire up Fubon’s hitters who scored 5 runs off the pitching of Liao Yi-Zhong, Chiu Pin-Rui and Guan Da-Yuan in the bottom of the 6th. No further score and 14 hits for Fubon in an 8-6 victory, runs and hits spread quite evenly across the team.

This week’s schedule

Chinatrust Brothers v Uni Lions @ Chengcing Lake on Tues/Wed at 6:35pm

Lamigo Monkeys v Fubon Guardians @ Xinzhuang on Wed/Thur at 6:35pm

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions @ Tainan on Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm

Lamigo Monkeys v Chinatrust Brothers @ Taichung I.C on Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm