Chiang Kuo-Hao Shows Responsibility in Emergency Start; Manager Goto Says 'Only Gratitude'

(Central News Agency, reporter Su Chih-Yu, Taipei 7th) Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) faced an emergency on the 6th when scheduled starting pitcher Shunsuke Suzuki suffered a finger blister during pre-game warm-ups and could not play. Chiang Kuo-Hao stepped in as an emergency starter. Although officially recorded as a reliever, Chiang effectively started the game, pitching 4 innings and allowing 2 earned runs, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility. Manager Mitsutaka Goto said, 'I only have gratitude for him.'

Chiang faced scoring threats in each of the first four innings but managed to keep the Uni-President 7-ELEVEn Lions scoreless. He was pulled in the 5th inning after allowing a hit and a walk, and the inherited runners later scored. Chiang threw 71 pitches, allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, and 2 earned runs, with 2 strikeouts. The loss marked his 9th consecutive defeat against the Lions across seasons.

When asked about Chiang's sense of responsibility before the game today, Manager Goto stated, 'First of all, I feel very sorry for causing him trouble. And for him holding the opponent well for four innings, I only have gratitude.' Goto also explained that upon learning of the emergency, he considered Chen Pin-Hung and Chiang Kuo-Hao as candidates with starting experience, and ultimately chose Chiang due to his experience in handling emergency situations. (Editor: Chang Ming-Kun) 1150607