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CPBL: Surprise Outfield Debut for Dong Tzu-en as Fubon Guardians Defeat CTBC Brothers

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The Fubon Guardians secured an 11-6 victory over the CTBC Brothers in their away game.
  • Dong Tzu-en, making his first career start in left field, successfully caught two balls, including one challenging fly ball.
  • Despite initial nervousness, Dong Tzu-en adapted to the outfield position, which he had only practiced briefly before the game.

The Fubon Guardians achieved an impressive 11-6 victory against the CTBC Brothers in their recent away game, with a notable surprise in the starting lineup. Dong Tzu-en, typically an infielder, made his career debut in left field, batting leadoff for the team.

Yesterday, Coach Goto told me 'Surprise!', and I was completely stunned, and I was sweating even in the air-conditioned room.

— Dong Tzu-enDescribing his reaction to being unexpectedly assigned to play left field for the first time.

Dong Tzu-en revealed that he was only informed of his outfield assignment during the pre-game batting order meeting. He had received a brief outfield practice session earlier in the week, which he initially thought was just for fun. "Coach Goto told me 'Surprise!' yesterday, and I was completely stunned," Dong Tzu-en shared, admitting he was sweating even in the air-conditioned room.

Despite the unexpected switch, Dong Tzu-en managed to successfully field two balls in left field. One of these was a challenging fly ball that he initially doubted he could catch. "The coach said outfielders should focus on judgment first, not running immediately," he explained, adding that his inexperience showed on that play as he wasn't sure how to best approach the catch.

The coach said outfielders should focus on judgment first, not running immediately, but on one ball, I saw it flying and realized something was wrong. My experience is not enough yet, and when I caught it, I thought, 'How did I catch it like this?'

— Dong Tzu-enReflecting on his challenging fly ball catch and his inexperience in the outfield.

While Dong Tzu-en felt more comfortable as the game progressed and the Guardians built a significant lead, he didn't have further opportunities to showcase his skills in the outfield. He remains unsure about his overall performance in this new role but acknowledged the team's strong performance and the successful outcome of the game.

I was more nervous at the beginning, but after the score widened, I wanted to try more. However, there were no more fielding opportunities later, so I don't know if my overall performance was good.

— Dong Tzu-enSummarizing his experience playing left field for the first time.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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