Jason Pan, in Chinese Taipei
Down by 7-1 in the 3rd inning, the Sinon Bulls players gave a gutsy performance in storming back to defeat the Brother Elephants 11-8 in a key CPBL (Chinese Professional Baseball League) contest in the final week of March.
All-star utility man Cheng Da-Hong carried the hot bat to lead the Bulls team with 4 hits, 2 RBIs, and also scored 2 runs to receive the Game MVP award.
Cheng’s nickname is Taiwanese Johnny Damon, for his physical resemblance to the American MLB outfielder, who was a World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox and the NY Yankees, and now is with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Just like the MLB’s Johnny Damon, CPBL’s Cheng Da-Hong bats from the left side and can hit for power, as well as for average. Cheng in this game was inserted in the DH role, but his primary position is catcher, while he also has quick feet and excellent skills to play in outfield positions.
In that thrilling encounter, the Brother Elephants knocked around Sinon pitchers early in the game to surge ahead 7-1 after the top-half of the 3rd frame. However, the Sinon Bulls would not quit, as they rallied for 4 runs in their next at-bat to make it 7-5 at that point.
The Bulls scored 6 runs over the next 4 innings to complete the amazing turnaround and went on to prevail (11-8) at New Taipei City‘s “Hsinchuang” Stadium. Clutch hitting in the pivotal 7th inning included a two-out RBI-single by Taiwanese Johnny Damon Cheng, followed by a double to drive in two more runs by first baseman Lin One Punch Yi-Chuan to seal the outcome.
With the dramatic twists through to the end, it was seen as the most exciting game in the first month of CPBL’s 2012 season.
In the post-game interview, after accepting the MVP award, Chengsaid, “I felt great to have my swing back and have 4 hits in a game. Since I’m on a good streak, I will try to get more hits in the coming games.”
He added, “The win is not due to me, but it took a total team effort. We owe it to our fans, they kept on cheering us even when we fell behind. I really appreciate their unwavering support.”
