Wang Po-jung played at Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium today, hitting a 2-run homer in the bottom of the first inning for his first home run of the season. In the bottom of the third, he blasted another 3-run homer, extending the lead to 6-0. Both home runs were off Lions starting pitcher Hu Chih-wei. Although his next two at-bats resulted in flyouts, Wang Po-jung contributed 5 RBIs with 2 hits, both home runs, raising his batting average to .304.
Wang Po-jung joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's professional baseball league in 2019, accumulating 15 home runs but never hitting two in a single game. After returning to the CPBL and joining the Hawks in 2024, he hit 10 home runs without a two-homer game. His last two-homer game was on May 13, 2018, when he was with the Lamigo Monkeys.
During spring training, guest hitting coach Lin Chung-chiu mentioned that Wang Po-jung's technique was fine, but his psychology was an issue. Wang Po-jung successfully advanced his CPBL career home run total to 98 today. After the game, during his MVP interview, he stated, “Just like Coach Chiu said during spring training, I used to doubt if I could do it. This year, I changed and used a different approach, just enjoying playing baseball and keeping a good mood.”
One of Wang Po-jung's home runs accidentally hit a fan in the outfield stands. The Hawks team stated that the fan was immediately accompanied by team personnel to the hospital. The team will provide relevant medical assistance and cover all medical expenses and insurance claims. They will continue to monitor the fan's recovery.
In another game, Wei Chuan Dragons starting pitcher Drew Gagnon, despite pitching 6 innings and striking out 6, accumulating 598 career strikeouts and surpassing Huang Ping-yang's 593 to set a new team record, conceded one run that proved fatal. The Dragons ultimately lost 0-1 to the Rakuten Monkeys. (Edited by Chen Jen-hua) 1150406
FACT BOX
- Source: CNA (Central News Agency)
- Category: News