2024 Taiwan Series G3: Brothers 10 – Uni-Lions 0

On October 22, the CTBC Brothers’ lineup woke up and stormed through the Uni-Lions’ pitchers for a 10-0 blowout victory and won Game 3 of the 2024 Taiwan Series. The Brothers are now leading the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Game 3 Recap

Game 3 began as a pitching duel, with both teams’ starters cruising through the first two innings without trouble.

The CTBC Brothers got their acts together in the top of the third inning. Chiang Kun-Yu lined a leadoff double to the warning track, setting the stage. Uni-Lions’ starter Logan Ondrusek then loaded the bases by walking the next batter and failing to throw out the advancing runner at third while fielding a bunt. The Brothers scored their first run when Sung Cheng-Jui drew a bases-loaded walk. They added two more runs, making it 3-0, with Yueh Cheng-Hua’s RBI single to centre field and a sacrifice fly by Chen Chun-Hsiu.

The Uni-Lions’ starting pitcher Logan Ondrusek ended up going five innings, allowing three runs while striking out seven and walking four.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Uni-Lions mounted a counterattack. After one out, Lin Chia-Wei and Chiu Chih-Cheng hit back-to-back singles. The Brothers’ starter, Kirk McCarty, then walked Chen Chieh-Hsien to load the bases. At the first sign of trouble, the Brothers’ manager immediately pulled Kirk McCarty, he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, striking out three and walking two.

In this bases-loaded, high-leverage situation, the Brothers called on reliever Lu Yen-Ching to stop the bleeding. Lu began by raising everyone’s blood pressure, throwing three consecutive balls before recovering with two strikes to make it count full. He then got Chen Yung-Chi to ground into a crucial double play, ending the inning and preserving the 3-0 lead.

“My goal was to lure the hitters into swinging at my pitches on the edge of the zone, but it wasn’t easy with a smaller strike zone tonight,” said Lu Yen-Ching to Liberty Sports after the game.

It is worth noting that Lu Yen-Ching set a special record in CPBL history for being the first pitcher to record one win as a starting pitcher, one hold and one save as the reliever in the Taiwan Series.

The Brothers extended their lead in the top of the seventh with another four runs. Yueh Cheng-Hua sparked the rally with a double to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Chen Tzu-Hao followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to make it 4-0. Wang Wei-Chen kept the momentum going by drawing a walk, and Tseng Song-En crushed a three-run homer, increasing the lead to 7-0.

This marked Tseng Song-En’s second home run of the Taiwan Series. If we were to include his regular-season homers at the Taipei Dome, that would earn him the title “Taipei Dome Home Run King” with five total home runs.

“Hahaha, what can I say? I guess thank you, Taipei Dome!” said Tseng Song-En to Liberty Sports after the game. “I still can’t believe that I hit so many home runs at the dome this year. It still feels like a dream.”

Despite holding a commanding lead, the Brothers had no intention of letting go of the acceleration pedal. In the top of the eighth, they continued to hammer the Uni-Lions bullpen, adding three more runs on two singles and two doubles to seal a 10-0 victory and capture Game 3 of the Taiwan Series.

 

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here