Fubon Guardians Reach 30 Wins for the First Half; Li Dong-Ming Shines in 8-Inning Performance

Taoyuan (CNA) — Behind a stellar outing from starting pitcher Li Dong-Ming, who surrendered only one run over eight innings, the Fubon Guardians defeated the Rakuten Monkeys 3–1. This victory marks the Guardians' 30th win of the first half of the CPBL season. Manager Gotō Kōson noted that the team has successfully met its initial goal of achieving a .500 winning percentage.

Li Dong-Ming completed eight innings on just 91 pitches, allowing only two hits. The lone run against him came in the third inning following a walk and a balk caused by three unsuccessful pick-off attempts, which allowed the Monkeys to tie the game via a sacrifice fly from Ma Chieh-Sen.

Despite the error, Li set a new career-high for innings pitched in a single game. In a post-game interview, he reflected on the lesson learned from the third inning, stating that while the balk was a mistake, he managed to maintain his composure and learned the importance of focusing on every batter.

Offensively, Chang Yu-Cheng provided a spark with a solo home run in the third inning. In the seventh, RBI hits from Shen Hao-Wei and Lin Tse-Pin regained the lead for the Guardians. The win extends Li Dong-Ming's winning streak to nine games, tying Mike Loree’s 2017 club record for a single season.

Manager Gotō explained that Li was removed after the eighth to preserve his arm for his next start, noting that he would have only considered him for the ninth had a shutout been on the line. With this win, the Guardians sit at 30 wins and 24 losses, confirming a winning record for the first half of the season.