Lions defeat Brothers 4-3 in 'traditional battle,' extend away winning streak

The Uni-President Lions secured a narrow 4-3 victory over the CTBC Brothers in a highly anticipated "traditional battle" of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). This win marks the Lions' sixth consecutive away victory against the Brothers this season, a streak that is starting to become a significant point of concern for the Brothers' club.

Lions' foreign pitcher Blake delivered a strong performance, pitching six scoreless innings. The team capitalized on a four-run surge in the top of the sixth inning. The key moment came when Brothers' starting pitcher Wu Li-chen, who had been effective for the first five innings, faltered. An outfield error by center fielder Song Sheng-rui allowed a fly ball to go over the wall, resulting in a costly three-run home run for the Lions.

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The fly ball hit by Li Cheng-ling became a fatal three-run homer after Song Sheng-rui, playing center field, accidentally let the ball go over the wall while sprinting at full speed and crashing into the wall.

Despite the earlier error, Song Sheng-rui showed resilience. He hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, seemingly as an apology for his mistake, drawing cheers from the crowd. The Brothers mounted a comeback attempt in the bottom of the ninth, with Chen Chun-hsiu and Song Sheng-rui hitting consecutive singles, followed by a two-RBI hit from Chang Jen-wei, narrowing the deficit to one run. However, the rally ultimately fell short as Chang Shih-lun struck out to end the game.

The CTBC Brothers have struggled significantly at home against the Uni-President Lions this year, having lost all four games at Intercontinental Stadium and two at the Dome. This current six-game losing streak at home against a single opponent matches the longest in the club's history. They will aim to avoid setting a new record in the next game.

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He hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to apologize.