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CPBL
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.
July 26 (28-35)
Uni-President Lions 7, CTBC Brothers 6 (BOX)
- CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 0-5
- RF Wei-Sheng Chang (#54): 2-4, R, BB, K
- LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 1-4, R, BB, 2 K
- 3B Yung-Chi Chen (#13): 2-5, R, RBI, K, SB (4)
- 2B-SS Chung-Ting Chen (#66): 2-5, 3 RBI, K
- C Yu-Le Lin (#31): 2-4, R, RBI, K
- RHP Ruei-Yang Gu Lin (#19): 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
July 27 (28-35)
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
JULY 28 (28-35)
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
JULY 29 (28-35)
POSTPONED (RAIN)
JULY 30 (28-36)
Fubon Guardians 5, Uni-President Lions 3 (BOX)
- CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 1-4, R, SB (9)
- LF Chih-Chieh Su (#32): 0-4
- RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K
- DH Wu-Hsiung Pan (#55): 1-4, R, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 K
- RHP Wei-Lun Pan (#18): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR, L (2-3)
July 31 (28-37)
Rakuten Monkeys 3, Uni-President Lions 2 (BOX)
- CF Wei-Sheng Chiang (#52): 2-4, 2 K
- DH Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 2-4, SB (10)
- RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 0-4
- LF Chih-Chieh Su (#24): 0-3, BB
- SS Tzu-Chieh Lin (#39): 2-3, R, BB, K
- RHP Josh Roenicke (#30): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
August 01 (28-38)
Rakuten Monkeys 5, Uni-President Lions 3 (BOX)
- CF Chieh-Hsien Chen (#24): 4-5, R, RBI, 2 SB (11, 12)
- 1B Kuo-Ching Kao (#68): 2-4, RBI
- RF An-Ko Lin (#77): 1-3, K
- LHP Chen-Yen Chiang (#16): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
KBO
Why the LG Twins?
- Represent a major metropolitan area.
- Share Seoul (and Jamsil Baseball Stadium) with a rival team and compete for fans.
- Have been a team that, on paper, should compete but just have not been able to put things together over the last few years
- Have a strong pitching staff in 2020.
- Staff ace, Casey Kelly, has been denied numerous wins over the years due to anemic hitting or a leaky bullpen despite quality starts.
- LG Corporation spends money on the team but does not always allocate that money wisely.
- Retired the number 41, worn by one of the best right-handed pitchers in team history.
July 26 (36-31-1)
LG Twins 4, Doosan Bears 3 (BOX)
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-3, RBI
- LF Hyun-soo Kim: 1-4
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 0-4, 2 K
- C Kang-nam Yoo: 1-4, R, 2 RBI
- 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 2-4, R, RBI
- RHP Min-ho Lee: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR
- RHP Woo-seok Ko: 1.3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, SV (2)
July 27 (36-31-1)
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
July 28 (37-31-1)
LG Twins 24, SK Wyverns 7 (BOX)
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 2-4, 2 R, HR (8), 3 RBI, BB
- DH Eun-sung Chae: 3-7, 2 R, HR (6), 8 RBI, K
- LF Hyun-soo Kim: 3-4, 2 R, HR (14), 2 RBI, BB
- 3B Min-sung Kim: 2-5, R, HR (2), 3 RBI
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 1-4, BB, K
- RF Hyung-jong Lee: 3-4, 2 R, HR (3), RBI, K, HBP
- C Kang-nam Yoo: 2-5, R, HR (7), 3 RBI, K
- 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 3-4, 4 R, BB
- RHP Tyler Wilson: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
July 29 (38-31-1)
LG Twins 11, SK Wyverns 6 (BOX)
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB (13)
- RF Eun-sung Chae: 2-5, R, HR (7), 4 RBI, K
- LF Hyun-soo Kim: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
- 3B Min-sung Kim: 2-4, R, HR (3), 3 RBI
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 2-4, R, HR (18), RBI, BB, K
- RHP Chan-heon Jung: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HR, W (5-1)
July 30 (39-31-1)
LG Twins 8, SK Wyverns 1 (BOX)
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-5, R, RBI, K
- DH Eun-sung Chae: 2-4, R, RBI, K, HBP
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 3-5, 2 R, HR (19), 3 RBI
- C Sung-woo Lee: 2-5, R, RBI, K
- RHP Chan-gyu Lim: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HBP, WP, W (7-3)
July 31 (39-32-1)
Hanwha Eagles 2, LG Twins 1 (BOX)
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-4, R,
- LF Hyun-soo Kim: 0-3, BB, K
- DH Eun-sung Chae: 1-4, RBI, K
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 0-3, K
- RHP Casey Kelly: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
August 01 (40-32-1)
LG Twins 9, Hanwha Eagles 6 (BOX)
- CF Chang-gi Hong: 4-5, 2 R, RBI
- SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-4, R, BB, K
- RF Eun-sung Chae: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, K
- LF Hyun-soo Kim: 3-5, R, 2 RBI
- 1B Roberto Ramos: 1-4, R, RBI, K
- LHP Yun-sik Kim: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, HR, HBP
NPB
Why the Yakult Swallows?
- The Swallows play in Tokyo, the largest city in Japan.
- The Swallows are overshadowed by the other team that plays in Tokyo, which has had much more success over the years, the Yomiuri Giants.
- For the first decade of their existence, the Swallows did not end a single season with a winning record.
- Meiji Jingu Stadium opened in 1964, the same year as Shea Stadium.
- The best player in team history was a pitcher.
July 26 (15-12-4)
Yomiuri Giants 9, Yakult Swallows 4 (BOX)
- CF Tomotaka Sakaguchi: 2-4, R, HR (2), RBI
- 2B Tetsuto Yamada: 1-4, R, K
- LF Norichika Aoki: 0-3, BB
- 1B Munetaka Murakami: 1-3, RBI, BB
- SS Alcides Escobar: 1-4
- C Akihisa Nishida: 1-1, R, HR (3), RBI
- RHP Hirotoshi Takanashi: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, L (2-2)
July 27 (15-12-4)
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
July 28 (15-13-4)
Hanshin Tigers 20, Yakult Swallows 5 (BOX)
- LF Norichika Aoki: 0-3, 2 K
- 3B Munetaka Murakami: 1-3, R, BB
- RF Kotaro Yamasaki: 2-4, R
- SS Alcides Escobar: 1-3, 2 E (3, 4)
- 2B Takeshi Miyamoto: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, K
- PH-1B Taishi Hirooka: 1-3, R, RBI, K
- RHP Gabriel Ynoa: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, HR, 2 WP, L (0-2)
July 29 (16-13-4)
Yakult Swallows 3, Hanshin Tigers 1 (BOX)
- RF Yasutaka Shiomi: 1-3, R, HR (3), RBI, 2 K
- LF Norichika Aoki: 2-3, R, BB, K
- 1B Munetaka Murakami: 1-3, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB, K
- SS Alcides Escobar: 0-4, K
- RHP Juri Hara: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, W (2-0)
- RHP Taichi Ishiyama: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, SV (6)
July 30 (17-13-4)
Yakult Swallows 6, Hanshin Tigers 0 (BOX)
- LF Norichika Aoki: 1-3, BB, K
- 3B-1B Munetaka Murakami: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K
- CF Kotaro Yamasaki: 3-4, 2 R, K
- LHP Keiji Takahashi: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HBP, W (1-1)
July 31 (17-14-4)
Chunichi Dragons 5, Yakult Swallows 3 (BOX)
- RF Yasutaka Shiomi: 2-4, R, HR (4), RBI, K
- 1B Munetaka Murakami: 1-4, R, HR (6), 2 RBI, K
- SS Alcides Escobar: 1-3, K, CS (1)
- RHP Daiki Yoshida: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
August 01 (17-15-4)
Chunichi Dragons 3, Yakult Swallows 1 (BOX)
- 2B Takeshi Miyamoto: 2-4, R
- LF Norichika Aoki: 0-4, 2 K
- 1B Munetaka Murakami: 1-4, RBI, K
- SS Alcides Escobar: 0-3, K
- RHP Yasuhiro Ogawa: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, WP, E (1), L (4-1)
CPBL HITTER OF THE WEEK
Chieh-Hsien Chen
7-16, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, 3/3 SB
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)
June 21 to June 27: An-Ko Lin (12-21, 3 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, 0/0 SB)
June 28 to July 04: An-Ko Lin (6-17, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K, 1/1 SB)
July 05 to July 11: Chih-Chieh Su (7-19, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 3/3 SB)
July 11 to July 18: N/A
July 19 to July 25: N/A
CPBL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Josh Roenicke
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
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)
June 21 to June 27: Logan Darnell (7.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR)
June 28 to July 04: Logan Darnell (6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR)
July 05 to July 11: Josh Roenicke (5.0 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)
July 11 to July 18: N/A
July 19 to July 25: N/A
KBO HITTER OF THE WEEK
Eun-sung Chae
11-25, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K, HBP, 0/0 SB
May 3 to May 9: Hyun-soo Kim (6-17, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 0/0 SB)
May 10 to May 16: Roberto Ramos (6-16, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, 0/0 SB)
May 17 to May 22: Eun-sung Chae (8-25, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K, 0/0 SB)
May 24 to May 30: Roberto Ramos (9-23, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB)
May 31 to June 6: Roberto Ramos (6-17, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB)
June 7 to June 13: Hyun-soo Kim (7-22, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB)
June 14 to June 20: Ji-hwan Oh (11-23, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, HBP, 1/1 SB)
June 21 to June 27: Keun-woo Jeong (8-14, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP, 0/1 SB)
June 28 to July 04: Hyun-soo Kim (6-25, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB)
July 05 to July 11: Hyun-soo Kim (9-23, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K, 0/0 SB
July 12 to July 18: Ji-hwan Oh (7-21, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB)
July 19 to July 25: Hyun-soo Kim (8-17, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 0/0 SB)
KBO PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Casey Kelly
7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
May 3 to May 9: Woo-chan Cha (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR)
May 10 to May 16: Casey Kelly (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
May 17 to May 22: Tyler Wilson (7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR)
May 24 to May 30: Casey Kelly (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K)
May 31 to June 6: Chan-heon Jung (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K)
June 7 to June 13: Min-ho Lee (7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)
June 14 to June 20: Chan-gyu Lim (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HBP)
June 21 to June 27: Chan-heon Jung (9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
June 28 to July 04: Chan-gyu Lim (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)
July 05 to July 11: Chan-heon Jung (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)
July 12 to July 18: Woo-chan Cha (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K)
July 19 to July 25: Casey Kelly (11.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 14 K, HBP, HR)
NPB HITTER OF THE WEEK
Munetaka Murakami
5-20, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB
June 14 to June 20: Tetsuto Yamada (3-8, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 1/1 SB)
June 21 to June 27: Tetsuto Yamada (6-24, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, 1/1 SB)
June 28 to July 04: Naomichi Nishiura (5-15, 1 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB)
July 05 to July 11: Tomotaka Sakaguchi (7-21, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1/1 SB)
July 12 to July 18: Munetaka Murakami (13-23, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB)
July 19 to July 25: Norichika Aoki (9-15, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 0 K, 0/0 SB)
NPB PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Keiji Takahashi
8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HBP
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Born on May 14, 1997 in Kameoka, a city in Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture, Keiji Takahashi attended Ryukoku University Heian High School. In his second year, the school won the Spring tournament, but they never won the main prize, Summer Koshien. After graduating, he was drafted by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the 2015 NPB Draft, their third selection in the process. The southpaw signed with the team roughly a month later, officially turning pro.
Takahashi spent the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons on the Swallows’ ni-gun team, pitching very limited innings due to injuries. Between both seasons, he threw only 29.1 innings, posting a 4.05 ERA while allowing 26 hits, walking 19, and striking out 28. In 2018, the 21-year-old southpaw finally began accruing innings, pitching 89.2 innings for the Swallows’ second-string team. Late in the season, he was promoted to the Swallows, pitching 15.0 innings for them in September and October and posting a 3.00 ERA, allowing 14 hits, walking 8, and striking out 20.
In 2019, Swallows manager Mitsuru Manaka named Takahashi the team’s opening day starter. While he started the season off strong, the left-hander eventually fell off, necessitating him being sent back down to the ni-gun team. All-in-all, Takahashi posted a 5.76 ERA in 95.1 innings for the Swallows, allowing 99 hits, walking 53, and striking out 99. The southpaw started the year out on the ni-gun team for some tuning up and made his Swallows debut in mid-July. In three starts, he has a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing 13 hits, walking 7, and striking out 20.
Takahashi throws from a low-three-quarters arm slot using mechanics that Japanese baseball expert Jim Allen says looks like a Transformer morphing into a car. “He has an exaggerated violent right leg kick,” he describes the left-hander’s delivery. “He lowers the leg most of the way and holds it as he raises his hands over his head until pausing at the apex, then as he lowers his hands, he raises his right leg to meet them and goes into something like a normal delivery. After the gyrations, the move home is a picture of smooth efficiency.” This year, Takahashi has altered his delivery somewhat, replacing his big leg kick with a more subdued leg lift. The complex mechanics have contributed to control and command problems over the years. In addition, the left-hander seems to get easy flustered in the face of adversity, leading to mental toughness concerns.
Thanks to a golden arm, Takahashi is highly thought of and could one day become the ace of the Swallows. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, topping out at 96 MPH, making his fastball one of the best from the left-side in Japan. His slider and changeup are his main secondary pitches, but Takahashi also utilizes a curveball, forkball, and cutter.