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CPBL Update, June 21 to June 27: Under .500 but not in last place!

We check in on our adopted CPBL team, the Uni-President Lions.

By Steve Sypa
Rakuten Monkeys v Uni-Lions - CPBL
An-Ko Lin
Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images

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!

Standings

June 21 (20-26)

Uni-President Lions 13, Fubon Guardians 6 (BOX)

The Guardians took the initial lead, but the Lions took it from them in the third thanks to some poor defense on part of Fubon and a few situational hits from the Lions. The lead didn’t last particularly long, though, as the Guardians plated three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it a 5-3 ballgame. Chih-Chieh Su added a run in the fifth to make it 5-4, and then the offense exploded to take a commanding lead. In the sixth An-Ko Lin hit a three-run shot and the Lions plated a total of four runs, and in the seventh the same happened, with Lin hitting another one and the Lions scoring another four. Hao-Chun Chiu gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, but the Lions lead was so great by that point, it didn’t really matter much.

  • CF-LF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 3-4, 3 R, 2 BB
  • LF Liang-Wei Chiang (#27): 0-0
  • 1B Chieh-Jui Wu (#62): 3-5, R, 2 RBI, BB
  • LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, K
  • CF Chao-Ting Tang (#6): 0-1
  • RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 5-5, 3 R, 2 HR (14, 15), 6 RBI, BB
  • DH Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 1-6, RBI, 2 K
  • SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 1-6, R, K
  • 3B-2B Chung-Ting Chen (#66): 3-5, R, SB (3)
  • C Yu-Le Lin (#31): 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K
  • 2B Ching-Kai Lin (#64): 0-4
  • PH-3B Chieh-Kai Pan (#35): 0-1, R
  • LHP Logan Darnell: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR, W (1-1)
  • RHP Cheng-Feng Chiang (#95): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
  • RHP Hao-Chun Chiu (#37): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
  • RHP Yun-Wen Chen (#12): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB

June 22 (20-26)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

June 23 (20-26)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

June 24 (20-26)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

June 25 (20-27)

CTBC Brothers 13, Uni-President Lions 6 (BOX)

Brothers starter José De Paula struck out 11 Lions, the third time he reached double-digit strikeouts this season. Over his six plus innings on the mound, he scattered six hits and allowed three runs, two of which were earned. Lions starter Chen-Yen Chiang on the other hand? Uh…Well, he allowed a whopping five home runs so you can fill in the blanks.

  • CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 2-5, R
  • 1B Chieh-Jui Wu (#62): 2-3, R, RBI, K
  • 1B Chieh-Kai Pan (#35): 2-2, R
  • RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 1-5, R, 3 K
  • LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 1-5, R, 2 K
  • DH-3B Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 1-4, 2 RBI, 3 K
  • SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 0-3, R, BB, 2 K
  • 3B-2B Chung-Ting Chen (#66): 2-4, RBI, K
  • C Yu-Le Lin (#31): 0-2, K
  • C Chung-Yu Chen (#65): 0-2, K
  • 2B Ching-Kai Lin (#64): 1-3, K
  • PH Wu-Hsiung Pan (#55): 0-1
  • LHP Chen-Yen Chiang (#16): 4.0 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 5 HR, L (4-4)
  • RHP Yu-Kang Fu (#42): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Wei-Chih Lin (#43): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Chun-Jen Cheng (#60): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Chun-Yen Huang (#40): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

June 26 (20-28)

Rakuten Monkeys 8, Uni-President Lions 6 (BOX)

It was a back-and-forth affair, with the Lions striking first. The lead changed hands multiple times until the eighth, when the Monkeys hit the deciding blow, scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame. With three outs to play with first baseman Chieh-Jui Wu singled, but that would be all the team could manage against closer Yao-Lin Wang, who notched his tenth save of the season.

  • CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 0-4, BB
  • LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 2-4, R, RBI, BB, K 2 SB (5, 6)
  • RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 1-5, R, RBI, 4 K
  • 1B Chieh-Jui Wu (#62): 2-5, SB (3)
  • 3B Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 2-5, R, HR (7), RBI, 2 K
  • 2B Chung-Ting Chen (#66): 1-4, R, BB, K
  • DH Wu-Hsiung Pan (#55): 1-3, R, BB, K
  • SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 1-4, 2 RBI
  • C Chung-Yu Chen (#65): 1-4, R, K
  • RHP Tzu-Chien Shih (#45): 6.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
  • RHP Cheng-Feng Chiang (95): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (1)
  • RHP Chun-Yen Huang (#40): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, L (1-4)

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Ryan Feierabend has been granted his release and will leave the team at the end of the month

June 27 (21-28)

Uni-President Lions 21, Rakuten Monkeys 5 (BOX)

When it rains, it pours. The Lions put up a six spot in the top of the first and did not let up, tagging Monkeys starter Elih Villanueva for eleven earned runs total. Neither one of their relievers fared much better, with reliever Ming-Hsiang Chang getting particularly crushed, giving up eight runs over the game’s final two frames. The usual suspects were the driving force behind the offensive surge, and with his offensive explosion, An-Ko Lin is keeping pace with teammate Chih-Chieh Su as the two threaten the single-season CPBL home run record.

  • CF-LF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 4-6, 5 R, 2 RBI, BB
  • LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K
  • CF Chao-Ting Tang (#6): 1-2, R
  • RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 5-6, 3 R, 2 HR (16, 17), 7 RBI, K
  • RF Liang-Wei Chiang (#27): 1-1, RBI
  • DH Chieh-Jui Wu (#62): 2-5, R, RBI, BB, K
  • 3B Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 0-2, R, RBI, BB, E
  • 1B Chieh-Kai Pan (#35): 0-3, K
  • 2B-3B Chung-Ting Chen (#66): 2-6, RBI
  • 1B Kuo-Ching Kao (#68): 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI
  • 2B Ching-Kai Lin (#64): 1-2, R
  • SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 4-6, 2 R, 1 RBI, BB, K
  • C Yu-Le Lin (#31): 3-6, 2 R, HR (3), 4 RBI, 2 K
  • C Chung-Yu Chen (#65): 0-0
  • RHP Josh Roenicke (#30): 6.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, W (2-3)
  • RHP Yu-Kang Fu (#42): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
  • LHP Ryan Feierabend (#54): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
  • RHP Yun-Wen Chen (#12): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

HITTER OF THE WEEK

An-Ko Lin

12-21, 3 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, 0/0 SB

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Logan Darnell

7.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR, W (1-1)

Thrust into the role of staff ace out of necessity for the University of Kentucky, Logan Darnell didn’t exactly rise to the occasion, but his performance not only in 2010, but for his entire tenure there was good enough to be picked in the 2010 MLB Draft. Selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 6th round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of the University of Kentucky, Darnell pitched his way up their minor league system, never exactly showing impressing. He was added to the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster during the 2013-2014 offseason and then made his major league debut a few months later, on May 2nd, 2014. The 24.0 innings that he pitched in 2014 would be the only MLB innings he would log. He would spend the next few years bouncing around in the minor and independent leagues, playing in the Tampa Bay Rays system and the Washington Nationals system while in affiliated ball and with the Somerset Patriots while in unaffiliated ball. In addition, he spent many a winter playing in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico. In late April, the left-hander was signed by the Uni-President Lions.

The 6’2”, 210-pound southpaw throws from a three-quarters arm slot, using a short arm action in the back. His fastball sits 88-92 MPH and is complemented by a curveball, slider, and changeup. His changeup is generally his most effective secondary pitch, though the slider and curveball are solid fringe-averages pitches, simply lacking the depth to be consistent swing-and-miss strikeout pitches.

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)

May 17 to May 23: Chih-Chieh Su (3-6, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1/1 SB)

May 24 to May 30: Chieh-Hsien Chen (10-17, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 0/0 SB)

May 31 to June 6: Chih-Chieh Su (11-18, 0 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, 0/0 SB)

June 7 to June 13: Yung-Chi Chen (11-20, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1/1 SB)

June 14 to June 20: Chih-Chieh Su (10-17, 0 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 4 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)

May 17 to May 23: Wei-Chih Lin (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)

May 24 to May 30: Ryan Fierabend (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)

May 31 to June 6: Chen-Yen Chiang (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR)

June 7 to June 13: Josh Roenicke (7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

June 14 to June 20: Josh Roenicke (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

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