TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Although Taiwan has been eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, one major bright spot is Taiwanese slugger Yu Chang (張育成), who was named MVP of Pool A.
Over four games, in contests against Panama, Italy, the Netherlands, and Cuba, Chang hit two doubles, two homers, eight RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts, with a batting average of 0.438. His efforts were enough to earn him the honor of being declared the MVP of Pool A on Sunday evening (March 12).
A two-run home run in the sixth inning helped lead his team past Italy 11-7 on Friday (March 10). The Amis Tribe member smashed a 125-meter grand slam in the second inning in his team's matchup against the Netherlands, contributing immensely to the 9-5 win.
Chang had the distinction of being the only Taiwan player to score a run against Cuba. However, Chang's heroics were not enough to overcome the deficit, and Taiwan fell to Cuba with a score of 7-1.
Although Taiwan tied with the four other teams in the pool with a record of 2-2, it was eliminated from further competition due to the tiebreaker derived from Taiwan's less favorable number of runs allowed. As for Chang, the Red Sox have decided to bring him back to their team after Trevor Story and Adalberto Mondesi were sidelined with injuries, reported Yard Barker.
(CNA photo)
(CNA photo)
(CNA photo)
(CNA photo)
(CNA photo)
Chang poses with MVP award. (Chinese Taipei Baseball Association photo)
