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Taiwan edge Dinos 2-1 in final WBC warm-upBy Joseph Yeh, The China Post TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Peng Cheng-min's (彭政閔) solo home run lifted Taiwan's national baseball team over the South Korean NC Dinos with a score 2-1 in Taichung yesterday as the home squad concluded all of their World Baseball Classic (WBC) warm-up matches.
March 1, 2013, 12:03 am TWN The home squad finished the eight-game warm-up series with a 5-3 record, ready to face the WBC games that officially launch tomorrow. Taiwan drew first blood in the third inning with infielder Chen Yung-chi's (陳鏞基) one RBI double. The home team added another run in the sixth inning following Peng's solo homer, his second during the series, to widen the gap to two-nothing. Defensively, starter Lo Ching-lung (羅錦龍) did a perfect job in sealing the Dino's offense. The righty threw four scoreless innings, giving up only two hits. Replacing Lu, the four relievers of Taiwan continued to dazzle Korean batters with a variety of fastballs and breaking balls. The Dinos' lineup finally awoke at the top of the ninth. Two consecutive hits against Taiwanese right-handed closer Lin Yi-hao (林羿豪) gave the Korean team its first run in the game. The South Korea professional squad had its chance to tie the game but a game-ending double play called it for the day as Taiwan took home the win. “The team is ready to face the real challenge,” Team Taiwan's manager Hsieh Chang-heng (謝長亨) told local reporters yesterday after the game. The first-round matches for the WBC are scheduled to officially kick off in Taichung tomorrow. Taiwan will be facing South Korea, Australia and the Netherlands on their home turf starting from March 2. Only the top two finishers in each pool will move to the second round after three games. Two of the biggest names in Taiwan baseball including former Washington Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang (王建民) and ex-Los Angeles Dodgers setup man Hong-Chih Kuo (郭泓志) were among the roster, giving the home team a major boost to advance to the next round of games in Tokyo. |
![]() Peng Cheng-ming (彭政閔), captain of the Chinese Taipei team competing at the World Baseball Classic tournament, knocks out a home run against South Korea at a baseball stadium in ... Enlarge Photo
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