Fan Kuo-Chen's Home Run Leads Fubon Guardians to Big Win Over Brothers; Wang Po-Jung's Walk-Off Hit Lifts TSG Hawks Over Rakuten Monkeys

(Central News Agency reporter Su Chih-Yu, Taipei, May 5) In the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the Fubon Guardians defeated the CTBC Brothers 10-2, powered by Fan Kuo-Chen's two-run home run in the top of the first inning. Fan's homer helped the Guardians score four runs in the inning. In the top of the fifth, the Guardians launched a rally with seven consecutive hits, during which Fan added a two-run double, driving in two more runs. Fan finished the game with 2 hits in 4 at-bats and 4 RBIs.

The game between the TSG Hawks and the Rakuten Monkeys was tightly contested. Both teams traded blows through the first six innings. The Hawks took a two-run lead with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Monkeys tied it in the top of the eighth with two runs of their own. The deadlock held until the 10th inning under the tiebreaker rule. In the bottom of the 10th, the Hawks started with Chen Wen-Jie on second base. Wang Po-Jung delivered a timely single to bring him home, securing a dramatic 7-6 victory.

This was Wang Po-Jung's second career walk-off hit and his first with the TSG Hawks. His previous walk-off hit was on April 24, 2016, when he played for the Lamigo Monkeys, the predecessor of the current Rakuten team. With this win, the Monkeys were overtaken by the victorious Uni-President Lions, tying for first place in the second half season. Meanwhile, the Fubon Guardians and CTBC Brothers are now tied for last place. (Edited by Li Heng-Shan) 1150805