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Baseball: Japanese League Home Run King Despaigne Gets a Hit in China Debut

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • The 40-year-old former Japanese league home run champion went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in his debut for Beijing Zhengda Dragons.
  • Despaigne’s team defeated the Shanghai Orcas 5-4, with Despaigne starting as the cleanup designated hitter.
  • Beijing has a 5-4-1 record and sits third in the league, whose top four teams advance to the playoffs.

Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne made his long-awaited debut in China and quickly recorded a hit for the Beijing Zhengda Dragons in the Chinese City Baseball League’s Summer Solstice League.

The 40-year-old started at designated hitter in the cleanup spot against the Shanghai Orcas. He went 1-for-4, drove in one run and scored another as Beijing won 5-4.

Despaigne spent 10 seasons in Japan’s professional league, appearing in 878 games and recording a .261 batting average, 184 home runs and 545 runs batted in. He was selected for three All-Star Games and led the Pacific League in home runs and RBIs in 2017. He also played in five World Baseball Classics.

Reports that Despaigne would play in China emerged in early August, but he did not make his debut until the season was halfway through. Beijing currently has five wins, four losses and one tie, placing it third in the standings. Each team plays 15 regular-season games, and the top four qualify for the playoffs.

About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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