CPBL Update, May 17 to May 23: Monsoon SZN

As regular From Complex to Queens listeners know, we’ve decided to start following a CPBL team in the absence of Mets baseball for the foreseeable future. We picked a team and will post updates on how they’re doing over in Taiwan. Why the Uni-President Lions?

• Tainan City, home of the Lions, is one of the oldest and largest cities in Taiwan
• Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium is directly under the flight path of airplanes flying in and out of the nearby Tainan Airport.
• The team has talent and looks good on paper but has been thwarted time and time again in the last few years by poor on-the-field field management and front office executive decisions.
• Employed in their organization at one time or another former player and SNY analyst Nelson Figueroa, Columbia Fireflies pitching coach Jerome Williams, former manager Mickey Callaway, and Generation K member Bill Pulsipher.

Sounds like the Mets to me!

May 17 (10-16)

CTBC Brothers 19, Uni-President Lions 9 (BOX)

Every one of Tzu-Chien Shih’s starts this season have been tight-rope walks, as he allows a lot of hits, and in this one, things fell off the rails. Brothers starter Mitch Lively wasn’t exactly lights out either, but the Lions were resting a few of their big boppers, so maybe that was the difference.

• CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 3-6, 2 RBI, SB (5)
• LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 1-6, 2 R, HR (6), RBI, 2 K
• 1B Chieh-Jui Wu (#62): 2-5, R, RBI
• RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 3-5, R, RBI, K
• 3B Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 1-5, R
• DH Wu-Hsiung Pan (#55): 1-2, 2 R, BB, K
• PH-DH Kuo-Ching Kao (#68): 0-0, BB
• PH-DH Chao-Ting Tang (#6): 0-1
• 2B Ching-Kai Lin (#64): 3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
• C Chun-Wei Kuo (#15): 0-2, K
• PH-C Chung-Yu Chen (#65): 0-2, RBI, BB
• SS Yi-Hsuan Tsai (#38): 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, E (1)
• PH Fu-Lin Kuo (#5): 0-1, K
• SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 0-0
• RHP Tzu-Chien Shih (#45): 4.0 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 HR, L (3-2)
• RHP Hsuan-Ta Liu (#23): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Yu-Ching Lin (#10): 1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
• RHP Wei-Chih Lin (#43): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Chun-Jen Cheng (#60): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

May 18 (10-16)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

May 19 (10-16)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

May 20 (10-16)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

May 21 (10-16)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

May 22 (10-16)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

May 23 (10-16)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

HITTER OF THE WEEK

Chih-Chieh Su

3-6, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1/1 SB

Born July 28, 1994 in Chenggong Township in Taitung County, Taiwan, Chih-Chieh Su attended Pingzhen High School in Taoyuan City and then Chinese Culture University in Taipei. Chinese Culture University has a large population of aboriginal students, and Chih-Chieh Su was one of them, as a member of the native Amis people.

In 2016, Su was drafted by the Uni-Lions in the first round of the CPBL Mid-Season Draft and received a signing bonus of NT$5.6 million, roughly 186,00 American dollars. Su and second-round selection Chieh-Hsien Chen formed a popular duo because they were exciting players and handsome young men. The 21-year-old made his debut that year, appearing in 44 games, and hit .333/.398/.566 with 9 home runs, walking 15 times and striking out 45 times. Far from a sophomore slump, Su excelled in his second year, hitting .351/.422/.593 with 17 home runs in 92 games, walking 41 times and striking out 72 times; in addition, he began adding speed to his game and stole 9 bases in 14 attempts.

In 2018, Su was limited to 65 games because, in mid-July, he accidentally stepped on a baseball on the field during training and sprained his ankle as a result. The injury came at an inopportune time, as he was on pace to have the best season of his career; in those 65 games he hit .307/.391/.537 with 17 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 31 walks, and 59 strikeouts. When he began rehabbing a few weeks later, he was hit in the right hand by a foul ball, breaking his wrist and delaying his return. He was able to return in 2018, but only a handful of regular season games remained- he was able to play in the playoffs, and hit .350 with 2 home runs. The outfielder appeared in 120 games in 2019, hitting .282/.361/.541 with a career-high 27 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 48 walks, and 103 strikeouts.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

RHP Wei-Chih Lin

2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Wei-Chih Lin was born on September 29, 1992 in Hualien County, on Taiwan’s eastern coast. He attended high school in Taipei and then went on to attend Chinese Culture University. Chinese Culture University has a large population of aboriginal students, and Wei-Chih Lin was one of them, as a member of the native Amis people.

In 2016, Lin was drafted by the Uni-Lions in the first round of the CPBL Mid-Season Draft and received a signing bonus of NT$1.9 million, roughly $63,000 American dollars. He made his debut in 2017, appearing in 21 games out of the bullpen. The right-hander posted a 6.92 ERA in 26.0 innings, allowing 30 hits, walking 11, and striking out 14. He was not much better in 2018, when he posted a 6.94 ERA in 11.2 innings, allowing 14 hits, walking 8, and striking out 7. Manager Kan-Lin Huang- and later Yu-Chen Liu, who took over as interim manager when Huang resigned in June- limited Lin’s time on the mound in 2019, and the reliever only appeared in 5 games. In those five games, Lin performed horribly, posting a 39.27 ERA in 3.2 innings, allowing 14 hits, walking 4, and striking out 2.

Wei-Chih Lin throws from a low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits in the high-80s, topping out at 91 MPH. He complements his fastball with a changeup and a fork ball.

HITTER OF THE WEEK

May 3 to May 9: Fu-Lin Kuo (10-22, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1/1 SB)

May 10 to May 16: An-Ko Lin (9-23, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB)

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

May 3 to May 9: Ryan Feierabend (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR)

May 10 to May 16: Ryan Feierabend: (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)