Shen Hao-wei's walk-off 2-run homer seals 500th win for Fubon Guardians

(CNA reporter Hsieh Ching-wen, New Taipei, June 30) The Fubon Guardians battled the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions to extra innings today, with the Guardians securing a 6-5 victory in the bottom of the 11th inning thanks to Shen Hao-wei's career-first walk-off 2-run homer. This win marks the 500th in Fubon Guardians franchise history.

The Guardians hosted the Lions at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium today. The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd inning with Su Chih-chieh's sacrifice fly, followed by an RBI single from Li Cheng-ling to score their second run. The Lions extended their lead in the top of the 8th inning with Su Chih-chieh leading off with a double, and Li Cheng-ling adding another RBI single to bring in an additional run.

Despite recording 7 hits through the first 7 innings, the Guardians were unable to score. In the bottom of the 8th, Fan Kuo-chen and Lin Tse-pin both hit singles. The Guardians then used two consecutive pinch hitters, with Tung Tzu-en hitting a double to drive in 1 run, and Lin Shu-yi following with a 2-RBI single to tie the game.

Both teams battled through the 10th inning tie-breaker without scoring. In the top of the 11th, the Lions' Pan Chieh-kai led off with a double to score the go-ahead run, and Lin Hung-hsien and Chiu Chih-cheng added another run with consecutive singles.

In the bottom of the 11th, the Guardians' Chi En-chi hit a single and advanced on a fielder's choice and a pitcher's balk, scoring 1 run. Shen Hao-wei then sealed the victory with a 2-run walk-off homer, which was his first career walk-off hit and first career walk-off home run. Shen Hao-wei was named the game's MVP.

Guardians manager Gotoh Mitsutaka discussed the decision to use two pinch hitters in the 8th inning, stating that Tung Tzu-en and Lin Shu-yi were both in good form and had been considered for the starting lineup. They had an opportunity to pinch hit in the latter half of the game and achieved a good result. Regarding Shen Hao-wei's performance, Gotoh Mitsutaka commented that Shen Hao-wei's performance can fluctuate significantly, but he has been in good form in recent games.

The Guardians have concluded their first half of the season with a record of 34 wins and 26 losses. Gotoh Mitsutaka stated that at the beginning of the first half, the goal was to add more depth to the team, finding a balance between player development and game performance. The result is considered good, but he also mentioned that the team had an opportunity to contend for the first-half championship, and not achieving it was a deficiency. (Editor: Chen Cheng-chien) 1150630

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