Liu Chun-wei plays outfield for the first time in his career; Coach Yeh compares him to Kuo Tien-hsin

(Central News Agency, Taipei, July 4) Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) Dragons player Liu Chun-wei played outfield for the first time in his career yesterday. Head coach Yeh Chun-chang highly praised him, comparing him to Golden Glove winner Kuo Tien-hsin, but stated that this "experiment" was to keep Liu Chun-wei in the lineup.

Liu Chun-wei, who primarily plays infield, moved to left field in the top of the 8th inning yesterday, marking his first experience in the outfield at both the professional and minor league levels. He was unable to make a catch on a tricky fly ball hit by Lin Tse-pin, but in the top of the 9th, he made a spectacular sliding catch in foul territory on a fly ball hit by Tai Pei-feng.

When interviewed by the media today, Yeh Chun-chang said that for Liu Chun-wei's first defensive chance, others might not have been able to make the catch either. However, for the second spectacular catch, "he looked only a little worse than (Kuo) Tien-hsin. They both came from shortstop, so their first step judgment is better."

With K.K. Gonggong's return, there's been a squeeze at the infield positions. Yeh Chun-chang stated that the coaching staff has been thinking about how to allow Liu Chun-wei, who is currently hitting well, to play. Moving to the outfield offers more space. He has been less frequently assigned to the outfield because there aren't as many options for second and shortstops. Opportunities will be sought in the future. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 0704

Stand with the truth, and your every donation is a force to protect press freedom.

Download the CNA "First News" APP to get the latest news in real-time.

No unauthorized reproduction, public broadcast, public transmission, or use of the text, images, and videos on this website is permitted.