Brothers beat Monkeys 10-5; Coach notes pitcher's balance issues

The CTBC Brothers secured a decisive 10-5 victory over the Rakuten Monkeys in a Chinese Professional Baseball League game. Starting pitcher Cheng Hao-chun pitched six innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs, including a leadoff home run by Chen Chen-wei. Despite the runs, Cheng managed to secure his first win in two months, supported by his team's strong offensive performance. His season ERA remains high at 5.96.

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Today's game before practice, seeing the big screen at Taoyuan Stadium play last year's pitching video of Mei Mei, you could see that Mei Mei's pitching balance was very good at that time, and this year it's quite different.

Brothers' head coach Hirano Keichi commented on Cheng's performance, stating it was not his best, particularly noting imprecise control on low-angle pitches. Hirano observed a significant difference in Cheng's pitching balance compared to the previous year, as shown on the stadium's big screen before the game. He mentioned that Cheng himself recalled feeling better balanced last year, suggesting a potential area for improvement.

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I have told him, and he also said that last year's feeling was very good. If you have such an impression, you can compare what is different from last year.

Despite the early struggles, Cheng Hao-chun settled down after the third inning, retiring batters in order for the next three and a half innings. Hirano praised Cheng's recent improvements in practice and his efforts to address his issues. While acknowledging the runs conceded, Hirano expressed optimism for Cheng's future performance, especially noting an improvement in his control and ability to disrupt the opponent's hitting rhythm from the fourth inning onwards.

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Recently, Cheng Hao-chun has been doing better and better in practice and solving his own problems.