Chen Chieh-Hsien Drives in 4 Runs to Secure Victory; Lin Yueh-Ping Apologizes to Blake

(Taipei, April 14 — Reporter Su Chih-Yu) The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, despite losing a 4-run lead and being tied late in the game, managed to reclaim victory thanks to Chen Chieh-Hsien, who drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th inning and finished with 4 RBIs, securing a 7-5 win over the Wei Chuan Dragons. After the game, Lions manager Lin Yueh-Ping apologized to starting pitcher Brock Dykxhoorn, who did not earn the win.

The Chinese Professional Baseball League matchup between the Lions and Dragons took place at Tianmu Baseball Stadium today. Dragons starter Andrew Gagnon (Kang Lung) gave up three runs in the 4th inning after allowing three consecutive hits and two walks, but settled down to deliver a quality start: 6 innings, 3 runs allowed.

Lions starter Brock Dykxhoorn pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and just 1 run — a solo home run to Wang Shun-He in the bottom of the 5th, which marked the 1,000th home run in Dragons franchise history. The Lions added two more runs in the top of the 7th to extend their lead to 5-1, making Dykxhoorn’s win probability appear secure.

However, in the bottom of the 8th, Lions’ high-leverage reliever Kao Yen-Shu was broken through. With one out, Wang Shun-He reached on a walk, followed by consecutive hits from Kuo Tien-Hsin, Chu Yu-Hsien, and Chang Cheng-Yu, scoring two runs. With two outs and runners on second and third, Li Kai-Wei delivered a single to tie the game, erasing Dykxhoorn’s chance at the win.

After the game, Lin Yueh-Ping addressed the media, stating that the pitching strategy in the 8th inning would need review. He noted that after falling behind in the count to Wang Shun-He, the team should have aggressively challenged him instead of throwing a pitch to induce a swing. Later, with favorable counts against subsequent batters, the pitcher became overly aggressive in the strike zone, creating opportunities for the opposition.

Lin added, “I feel particularly sorry for Blake. We couldn’t hold the lead when he was in line for the win, and instead, Cheng Hao earned his first career victory. Regardless of individual stats, as coaches, we care most about team victory. Given today’s weather and the intense battle from both sides, we were just a bit luckier to come out on top.”

Chen Chieh-Hsien drove in 3 runs with his first two hits and delivered a sacrifice fly in the 9th inning with the bases loaded to take the lead. After the game, Chen said, “I was able to drive in 4 runs thanks to my teammates getting on base aggressively. The rainy conditions made things tough for both pitchers and hitters, but we managed to play an exciting, back-and-forth game. I think the opposing team played exceptionally well too.” (Edited by Chang Ya-Ching) 1150614