Fubon Guardians Split Undefeated Battery; Manager Explains Rationale

The Fubon Guardians have disbanded their previously undefeated pitching and catching combination of Li Dong-ming and Dai Pei-feng. The duo had a perfect 6-0 record before the change.

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Dai Pei-feng's recent form has not been ideal, and at the same time, we want to try various pitching and catching combinations.

Manager Goto Mitsutaka explained the decision stemmed from Dai's current form and the strategic need to explore various battery pairings. "There will be situations where a catcher's hitting struggles make them unusable, so increasing our options is necessary," Goto stated. He also noted that while a pitcher in good form can handle any catcher, Li Dong-ming's ability to guide the game to a win despite not being in peak condition was commendable.

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There will be situations where a catcher's hitting struggles make them unusable, so increasing our options is necessary.

Li Dong-ming, who secured his seventh win of the season, now leads the league in wins and lowered his ERA to 1.79, ranking fourth in the league. He revealed that he primarily paired with rookie catcher Chang Yu-hao when runners were not on base, taking over the play-calling in more challenging situations. This marks a historic achievement for Li, becoming the first local pitcher in team history to record seven wins in his first nine starts.

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If the pitcher is in good form, anyone can catch and suppress the batter, but when Dong-ming's condition is not good, he can still guide him to complete the game, which I think is very good.