Wei Chuan Dragons' Chang Cheng-Yu's Critical Home Steal Against Rakuten Monkeys Captures Pitcher's Motion

(CNA, Taipei, 17th) The Wei Chuan Dragons defeated the Rakuten Monkeys 2-0 today, with starting pitcher Cristopher Mercedes delivering 8 scoreless innings. The main highlight was Chang Cheng-Yu's steal of home in the bottom of the 7th. Chang revealed he had picked up on the opposing pitcher's motion, thinking, "I'm so close to home, why not run?" The CPBL's Wei Chuan Dragons faced the Monkeys at Tianmu Baseball Stadium today. Lin Hsiao-Cheng's hit in the bottom of the 2nd inning brought in the first run. However, the tense 1-run lead persisted until the bottom of the 7th. With two outs and runners on first and third, third-base runner Chang Cheng-Yu seized the opportunity as left-handed pitcher Lin Tzu-Wei was not paying attention. He extended his lead and then dashed for home, drawing a massive cheer from the crowd. Manager Yeh Chun-Chang said in a post-game interview, "He stole home; I've had home stolen on me before." Chang Cheng-Yu is the first player in Wei Chuan Dragons' history to successfully steal home and the 6th in CPBL history. The previous five were by Rafelin in 1997, Martinez in 1999, Huang Chung-Yi in 2001, Chiu Chang-Jung in 2003, and Huang Kao-Chun in 2004. The catcher on the receiving end in 1997 and 1999 was none other than Yeh Chun-Chang. Yeh stated that with a narrow one-run lead, the run scored by Chang helped boost the team's morale and relieve pressure on the pitcher. "This was his own judgment. Even if the coach told him to, it wouldn't work if he didn't have the feel for it." Chang Cheng-Yu mentioned he had observed some of Lin Tzu-Wei's motions and discussed it with third-base coach Chen Chih-Wei. "Wei-ge said no, we just brought in a pinch hitter." But Chang kept insisting, gradually extending his lead and realizing he was very close to home while the opposing third baseman and pitcher were not paying attention. He thought, "Why shouldn't I run?" "I've wanted to steal home since elementary school," Chang said. He had been thinking about it for a long time but needed a high degree of confidence. If the team were trailing or tied, he wouldn't have dared. "But actually doing it was different from what I imagined. I thought I would be more pumped up, but I didn't make any big gestures." Mercedes was also taken by surprise. He was warming up in the bullpen at the time and wondered why Chang was leading off so far. As he turned to play catch, he suddenly heard his teammates cheer, and when he looked back, he saw Chang had already slid into home. Yeh Chun-Chang pointed out that starting pitcher Mercedes' performance was crucial today, as he pitched deep into the low-scoring game and prevented runs. Mercedes himself said he didn't think about the score but focused on facing one batter at a time. Although the opponent used more right-handed batters, he aggressively attacked the strike zone, relying on his teammates' defense for support. (Editor: Lin Shu-Hui) 1150517