Rakuten Catcher Hit on Right Shoulder, Leaves Game Early

Rakuten Monkeys catcher Sung Chia-hsiang exited early after a foul ball struck his right shoulder during a game against the Wei Chuan Dragons.

Sung took the blow while catching in the fourth inning and left at the start of the fifth, when Chang Min-hsun replaced him. Rakuten manager Tseng Hao-chu said the team would continue monitoring the injury because the ball hit the bone and caused some swelling.

“

We still need to observe him. Since it hit the bone, there is some swelling. We will see how he is over the next one or two days.

Yen Hung-chun later made a key defensive play in the 10th inning, throwing out a runner at third base during a Dragons scoring threat. Tseng said the out came in a dangerous situation and was important to the team, even though it did not completely end the danger.

Li Hsun-chieh then secured the result with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. Tseng said Li had always possessed that ability and hoped he would continue producing when given opportunities.

“

That out was very important for us in a highly dangerous situation.