In the CPBL Playoffs, the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions even the Taiwan Series at one game a piece after defeating the CTBC Brothers in Game two 10-3. After the Brothers took Game one, Game two was much different with the U-Lions capturing the victory over the Brothers with an explosive offensive performance. Mario Sanchez took the ball for the U-Lions as Daniel Mengden got the start for the Brothers. Here’s how it all went down at the Taipei Dome.
The Brothers were able to strike in the first inning, when Yueh Cheng Hua hit a solo home run to get the Brothers ahead 1-0. The following inning, the U-Lions struck back with four runs in the top of the second. The first Lions run came when Hsu Che Yen lined a single right back up the middle to score Pan Chieh Kai. The following batter, Chen Chung Yu, was also able to line the pitch he saw right back where it came from into centerfield to score Su Chih Chieh to get the U-Lions ahead 2-1. Lin Tzu Chieh added two more runs for his team in the inning, blooping a pitch into shallow left-field to extend the U-Lions lead to 4-1.
The Brothers refused to relent however as in the following inning they added two more runs to the board with RBIs from Chiang Kun Yu and Lin Wu Chen Wei, to cut the U-Lions lead to 4-3. After that, it was all U-Lions. An RBI single from Lin Chia Wei in the fourth inning got them ahead 5-3. They garnered one run in the seventh, along with three runs in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 10-3. Second-baseman Lin Tzu Chieh was highlighted as the player of the game, going 2-4 at the plate and driving in two RBIs on the night to help his club cruise to the victory.
Venezuelan born right-hander Mario Sanchez pitched very efficiently for the U-Lions, tossing five and two-thirds innings. He allowed nine hits, no walks, three earned runs, and punched out three batters. The U-Lions bullpen held it down in the late innings, turning to Dominican born former MLB pitcher Hector Perez. Perez went 2 1/3 innings in relief, allowing just one hit, one walk, and not allowing any runs to collect the hold. As for the Brothers, Daniel Mengden was roughed up, allowing ten hits in five innings to a tune of four earned runs.
Game 3 is set for Tuesday, Oct. 22. The Brothers will now be the away team as the U-Lions will now have home-field advantage for the next two matchups. Both teams are looking to climb the mountain top once again, as the Lions look for their first Taiwan Series crown since 2020 and the Brothers look to claim their third Taiwan Series championship in the last four seasons. The matchup will be held at the Taipei Dome, with first pitch to get underway at 6:35 AM EST.
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Photo Credit: Team Uni-Lions players celebrate after winning the Taiwan Series Game Two at Taipei Dome on October 20, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)
