Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees gestures at the crowds meeting a team of Major League Baseball players as he arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.

Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung,

The big league players are scheduled to take to the field at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium for a light workout this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow night’s opener against a national squad that features Wang Chien-ming of the Washington Nationals and several minor league players, as well as Taiwanese players who ply their trade in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in a highly anticipated match.

Game 2 and Game 3 will follow in the city of Taichung on Thursday and Friday, before Game 4 and Game 5 in Greater Kaohsiung on Saturday and Sunday to conclude the five-game series. The visitors are scheduled to fly out of Kaohsiung on Sunday night, ending their week-long visit.

As Ernie Banks would say, "Let's play two today!" Well! From Panama, the Ronerros did play two today and swept both games by 4-0 counts. Steve Wright (RH RONEROS DE CHIRIQUI - VERAGUAS) started game 2, went 3.2 innings, faced 12 batters, gave up a pair of hits, 0 runs, struck out 2, and walked 1.

Harper stays white hot in desert heat

Nats outfielder connects for his third homer in as many games

By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com

Bryce Harper has hit safely in each of his last nine AFL appearances. (James Garner/MiLB.com)

Scottsdale 9, Salt River 5

MLB.com's No. 2 prospect Bryce Harper (Nationals) homered in his third consecutive game and Darin Ruf (Phillies) reached base safely four times and scored twice as the Scorpions defeated the Rafters. Top prospect Mike Trout (Angels) recorded two hits and plated a run to raise his AFL average to .283, Giants fourth-rounder Brandon Crawford added two hits and an RBI out of the three-hole and third baseman Zach Walters (Nationals) plated three runs out of the No. 9 spot. Phillies right-hander Tyler Cloyd (1-2) earned his first Fall League victory, surrendering two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one batter over four innings.

Licey 5-3 win at Escogido, Sands and ead hit home runs

The Licey Tigers 5-3 on Sunday beat the Leones de Escogido to extend to 6 games their chain of triumphs. The righty Willy Lebron pitched five solid innings and reinforcements Jerad Head and Jerry Sands hit two separate homers to lead the Tigers to victory in a game staged at Quisqueya Stadium.

Santana wants to play

Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana, on Friday visited the offices of the Leones Escogido at Quisqueya Stadium, and already stated his desire to participate in the Dominican Winter League with the scarlet.


Johanna Nunez / Escogido BBC

"I grew a lot this year. An injury to the index finger of my right hand helped me mature," said Santana.

"So far I have the permission (of Indians) and I want to play. Let's wait as I feel 100% and my body responds. I played a lot in baseball. I do not know the date (to join the Leones), perhaps in December, "said Santana, who in his first full season with the Indians shot 27 homers and drove in 79 runs with .239 batting average in 155 games.

The 2011 was the launching of a promising major league career.

After 46 games in the 2010 season, the native of Mameyes missed the rest of the year after surgery for a torn ligament in his left knee. The injury occurred during a crash in a play at the plate the gardener of the Boston Red Sox, Ryan Kalish.

Santana was the second pick of the Leones Escogido in 2007, and his debut with the team came in the 2009-2010 season. At that time, he could only play in the opening games of the playoffs due to an injured wrist. He batted 0-4 with a strikeout as the fourth hitter in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Peguero goes deep again in Gigantes win

Mariners outfielder records three hits to raise average to .354

Dominican Winter League

Gigantes 9, Aguilas 3

Mariners outfielder Carlos Peguero went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. The 24-year-old has gone deep five times in his past nine games, plating nine. Overall, he is batting .354 in 12 Winter League games. Teammates Jimmy Paredes (Astros) and Erick Almonte (Brewers) each drove in two. Brian Bogusevic (Astros) reached base in all five of his plates appearances for Cibaenas, totaling three hits and two walks. The Royals' Kevin Pucetas recorded the win after allowing two runs on six hits over five innings.

Toros 5, Estrellas 1

The White Sox's Alejandro De Aza went 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot for Este, driving in a pair of runs. Teammate and Pirates farmhand Matt Hague launched a solo homer and walked twice. Ed Rogers (D-backs) went 3-for-4 with a roundtripper for Oriente. Blue Jays reliever Wilson Abreu earned the win by striking out two over a scoreless inning of relief.
Carlos Peguero is batting .354 with five homers and nine RBIs in 12 Winter League games. (Carlos Osorio/AP)

Licey 5, Escogido 3

Dodgers outfielder Jerry Sands went deep for the Tigres, as did the Indian's Jerad Head. Starter Willy Lebron (Royals) allowed two runs -- neither earned -- on one hit over five innings. He struck out two and walked four. Braves prospect Diory Hernandez recorded the only multi-hit day for the Leones, going 2-for-3 to raise his batting average to .317.

Venezuelan Winter League

Caribes 2, Lara 0

Former Minor Leaguer Alex Herrera struck out 11 while yielding five hits over nine shutout innings. He lowered his ERA from 5.52 to 3.42 in the effort. Angels farmhand Jeremy Moore hit a solo homer, while the Yankees' Luis Nunez drove in the only other run with a sacrifice fly. Teammate and former Royals farmhand Juan Camacho went 2-for-3, raising his average to .368.

Aragua 4, La Guaira 0

White Sox farmhand Deunte Heath allowed three hits and four walks while striking out three over five scoreless innings. Four relievers combined to give up just two hits over the final four innings. The Marlins' Alex Romero led the Tigres offense by homering, tripling and driving in two runs. Former Minor Leaguer Cesar Suarez had the only other multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with a double for the Tiburones.

Caracas 5, Magallanes 0

Brewers prospect Michael Fiers gave up just two hits and two walks in five scoreless innings, earning the win. After leading the Minor Leagues with a 1.86 ERA this season, the 26-year-old right-hander has not yet allowed a run in seven Winter League innings. Rays farmhand Daniel Mayora and Caleb Gindl (Brewers) each collected a pair of hits while knocking in a run.

Zulia 4, Margarita 1

Yankees prospect Jose Pirela went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and a run scored. Teammate and former Dodgers Minor Leaguer Eduardo Perez stroked a pair of doubles and also knocked in two. Starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx, a Cubs farmhand, earned his first win of Winter League play by yielding just three hits over six scoreless innings.

Mexican Pacific League

Navojoa 8, Mexicali 5 (11 innings)

Mexican Leaguer Adam Munoz went deep twice, including a two-run homer in the 11th. He drove in five runs in the game. Major League veteran Mike Jacobs went deep for the Aguilas, giving him five home runs in 17 games. Ozzie Mendez (Mexican League) earned the win by pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Culiacan 4, Obregon 1

Giants farmhand Tyler Graham went 3-for-3 out of the leadoff spot, doubling twice and scoring once. San Diego prospect Ali Solis went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and two runs scored. Former Minor Leaguer Doug Clark left the yard for the Yaquis for their lone run. Mexican Leaguer Andres Meza improved to 3-0 by allowing one run on two hits over seven innings.

Mazatlan 13, Los Mochis 5

Mexican Leaguer Hector Paez collected three hits, including a homer, driving in four and scoring three times. Former Minor Leaguer Jon Weber and Kevin Howard (Blue Jays) each recorded two hits, two RBIs and two runs. Mexican Leaguers Yancarlo Angulo and Ramon Orantes led the way for the Caneros, recording four hits apiece.

Guasave 3, Hermosillo 2

Mexican Leaguer Jose Rodriguez doubled and drove in two for the Algodoneros. Ivan Terrazas (Mexican League) homered and plated two for the Naranjeros. Reliever Jorge Castillo (Mexican League) earned the win by tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He allowed just two hits and didn't issue any walks while striking out two.

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Dominican Winter League

•Kelvin De La Cruz (RP, Aguilas Cibaenas): 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 0 K. Another strange outing for De La Cruz as he faced just one batter before being removed. He has now made 5 appearances this fall and in 3 of them faced just one batter. In the other two he pitched two-thirds of an inning.


•Jerad Head (RF, Tigres del Licey): 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI, 2 K. Head continues to put up a solid showing this fall hitting his 2nd homer in 13 games. It still remains to be seen if he will return to the Indians next season.

Venezuelan Winter League

•Luis Valbuena (2B, Cardenales de Lara): 0-for-3, K. Valbuena’s performance at the plate has nosedived of late as he is just 1-for-12 in his last 3 games and 4-for-28 in his last 8 games.

•Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 0-for-3, BB. After a hot 5-for-11 start in his first 3 games, Carrera came back down to Earth on Sunday with an 0-fer though did draw a walk.

•Raul Padron (1B, Leones del Caracas): Got the day off.

Mexican Winter League

•Jason Rice(RP, Naranjeros Hermosillo): entered the game in the 9th in a non-save situation with Guasave ahead 3-2 trying to protect a 1-run lead. Hermosillo failed to score in the bottom of the 9th.

Rice: 0 W, 0 L, 0.000 ERA, 7G, 3 SAVES, 8.1 INN, 4 H, 3 W, 7 K, 1.3 GO/AO, .148 AVE.

Power. Jerad Head follows the direction of the ball after hitting a home run in the third inning at the expense of the Leones starter, Chris Rusin.

Josh Satin filled the patience


The Leones have had enough and chose to dismiss


Satin failed to produce as expected with the Leones del Caracas. His failures left the club with no choice

Valencia .-

Before the game between Caracas-Magallanes on Saturday, Luis Avila was asked how far would the patience of the Leones put up with Josh Satin. "In the coming days will come Lindsey (John), Weber (Thad) and Chambers (Adron)," the president replied diplomatically. A few hours later, after once again failing to produce offensively and defensively, one of the causes of a 6-5 defeat against the archrivals from Magallanes, the manager fired Satin through his Twitter account. "Satin will return to USA on Tuesday." Tim Teufel, manager, was adamant. "Satin has not been the same player I had in Triple A. He was never comfortable in the field and the best for him and the team was what happened," he said yesterday before the game in Valencia.

Another similar case was that of Matt LaPorta, who arrived in Caracas in 2008 as one of the leading figures emerging from the Cleveland Indians. But in 17 games, LaPorta might be linked to one of average .164 with 22 strikeouts in 67 innings.

Satin mount on the plane after hitting 6 hits, including two homers in 41 turns of .146 average. "I feel frustrated because they brought me to hit," he said this week. His on base percentage of .407 and 12 runs scored were the best of his performance. But in general, not fulfilled the expectations of the club, although they filled the patience of the club.

Josh Satin had never gone through a big slump like the one currently facing. Imported for the Leones , a man who arrived with the label of the Mets' top prospect in New York, failed to meet expectations and was fired yesterday by the Caracas. "It's hard because I had never faced a situation like this, "said Satin, who entered the game against Magallanes had an average of .158 . "You get very anxious and this means that not all the time you swing at good pitches do. I've been working hard but I could not perform as expected of me, "he said before the game.

Brian McCarn , assistant hitting coach of the Leones agreed that the problem has to do with the mental aspect. "For Josh, one must keep in mind that a player who has hit in all categories in which he has been and being unable to do it here, you can de-concentrated" said the coach. Satin, who has an OPS .864 lifetime minor league estimates that it passes through the Venezuelan Winter League will leave with lessons learned.

"I think this is a lesson learned, and I know how to react when something happens to me in the big leagues . I will keep working hard to begin to perform in the future what we all expect, "he said. In Friday's game, Satin committed two errors in left field. "In the minors did not play in the outfiled and the Mets sent me to work on that," he said. "I think that has affected me playing in front of full stadiums."

Luis Avila , president of the Lions, announced the dismissal of the player's account through Twitter @ lavila_leones .

10-31-2011 22:34

Lions win Series
The Samsung Lions celebrate their Korean Series victory tossing manager Ryu Joong-il into the air after beating the SK Wyverns in Game 5 at Jamsil Ballpark, Seoul, Monday. The Lions won the title 4-1. / Yonhap

By Yoon Chul

The Samsung Lions won the Korean Series Monday beating defending champions SK Wyverns, and grabbing their first championship win in five years.

At Jamsil Ballpark the Lions’ pitchers contained the Wyverns batters, leading the team to a 1-0 victory in Game 5 of the Korean Series for a 4-1 takedown, avenging last year’s 4-0 defeat.

Lions’ starter Cha Woo-chan pitched seven scoreless innings allowing only five hits, while Kang Bong-kyu hit the game winning solo home run off Wyverns starter Brian Gordon.

Closer Oh Seung-hwan, who shattered the Wyverns in Games 1, 2 and 5 by closing them out with saves, won the Most Valuable Player award of the series.

Oh went to the mound in the eighth with two outs and recorded his sixth Korean Series save putting him at No. 1 in the playoffs final.

Lions’ manager Ryu Joong-il has now led the team to the championship in his debut year.

“When the regular season began we were in a tough place due to injured players but as we played we kept getting stronger,” Ryu said.

The Lions snatched the regular season title with a 79-4-50 record — 6.5 games ahead of runners-up the Lotte Giants.

“I think today is not the last day but the first day. In order to defend today’s title we will do our best,” added Ryu.

Though the Wyverns led by interim manager Lee Man-soo were defeated, the fans recognized that they are still a strong team.

Starter Gordon allowed only two singles until the fourth.

After the American sent Lions slugger Park Suk-min to the dugout with a strikeout, Kang went to bat and the Lions leftfielder connected to an uncontrolled pitch, smashing it over the left fence for a 1-0 lead.

The Wyverns had previously generated a huge chance in the second inning.

The Lions gave up two walks and one double to load the bases with one out, but Cha ended the inning with two strikeouts.

After the game, the Wyverns announced that interim manager Lee will be the new boss for the next season.

Akagawa amazes as Swallows reach CLCS final stage for first time

TOKYO, Oct. 31 (21:49) Kyodo

Young Katsuki Akagawa had some bumps along the road but rose to
the occasion in the most important game of his career and Ryoji
Aikawa homered as the Yakult Swallows edged the Yomiuri Giants 3-1 to
book a spot in the final stage of the Central League Climax Series on
Monday.

The second-place Swallows won the best-of-three first stage two
games to one against the third-place Giants, relying on Akagawa to
lead the way to set up a meeting with the CL champion Chunichi
Dragons on a night where runs came at a premium.

The 21-year-old Akagawa, a third-year lefty who held the Giants
scoreless over four innings in two relief appearances in 2011,
retired the first seven batters he faced before allowing a one-out
single in the second to Shigeki Furuki, who moved to second on Dicky
Gonzalez's bunt.

Yomiuri leadoff man Hayato Sakamoto grounded out to third to end
the threat, but the heart palpitations continued with two outs in the
fourth when Akagawa issued back-to-back free passes to Shinnosuke Abe
and Alex Ramirez before getting Michihiro Ogasawara to ground out to
third.

He was in trouble again in the fifth, placing runners at the
corners with one out before erasing Sakamoto on a flyout to second
and striking out Takayuki Terauchi swinging to escape the jam.

Akagawa went 6-2/3 scoreless innings, scattering five hits while
striking out five and walking two.

Opposing pitcher Gonzalez, who held Yakult scoreless in 4-1/3
innings in one relief appearance this year, gave up two runs run --
one unearned -- in 6-2/3 innings.

Aikawa led off the third with a blast over the left-field wall,
connecting on Gonzalez's 1-1 slider for a 1-0 lead at Jingu Stadium.

In the seventh, Vladimir Balentien reached second on a throwing
error on a failed double-play attempt.

Pinch-runner Tsuyoshi Ueda made a heads-up slide at the plate,
diving around the outstretched glove of Yomiuri catcher Abe on
Ryosuke Morioka's single for the second run after a pinpoint throw
from left fielder Ramirez.

Norichika Aoki, who got his first hit of the series in Game 2 a
day earlier, batted in the leadoff spot and went 2-for-4 with a
single and double. Kazuki Fukuchi knocked in the third run on an RBI
single for a cushion in the eighth.

Sakamoto was held hitless in four at-bats. Ogasawara hit a
one-out solo blast in the ninth that was too little, too late for
Yomiuri.

Yakult won Game 1 on Saturday 3-2, backed by the tag team of
starter Shohei Tateyama and Kyohei Muranaka, while Yomiuri beat
Yakult 6-1 in Game 2 which featured a pinch-hit, bases-clearing
double by Yoshinobu Takahashi.

The final stage of the Climax Series, which potentially could go
six games, begins at Nagoya Dome on Wednesday.

Chunichi has home field advantage and an automatic one-win lead
as league champion. The first team to four wins advances to the Japan
Series.

Tue, Nov 01, 2011 - Page 20　

Sellout crowd expected for MLB All-Stars

By Paul Huang / Contributing Reporter
Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees participates in a home run demonstration at Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City yesterday.

Photo: Liu Hsin-de

A sellout crowd of 12,000-plus is expected to pack the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City this evening where the Major League All-Stars are set to take the field against Taiwan’s national team in the opener of the Taiwan All-Star Series.

Manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants will lead a crew of big leaguers that includes household names such as Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and Jeremy Guthrie to take on the best and the brightest that Taiwan has to offer in an unprecedented showdown.

To top all that, President Ma Ying-jeou will represent the host nation by tossing the opening pitch to signify the level of commitment the nation has devoted to making the event possible.

“It’s an honor to be the host of an event like this. On behalf of the 4 million residents of New Taipei City, I’d like to welcome our very special guests from the MLB,” New Taipei City Mayor Chu Li-luen said at Sunday night’s press conference.

Left-hander Yang Yao-hsun of Japan’s Softbank Hawks is set to take the mound for Taiwan in tonight’s contest and he is facing a MLB lineup that features a heart of the order consisting of Cano and Granderson of the New York Yankees and Michael Morse of the Washington Nationals.

As for the visitors, Guthrie of the Baltimore Orioles is set to get the nod from Bochy in the opener and most likely Game 4 of the five-game series. He has his work cut out for him as Taiwan skipper Chen Wei-cheng counters the All-Stars with a lineup that showcases three minor leaguers in Lin Tseh-hsuan (Boston Red Sox), Luo Guo-hui (Seattle Mariners) and Chen Chun-shu (Cleveland Indians).

Murata scored upon for the first time in 4 games. Max Ayarza and Steven Lerud homered leading the offense of Chiriqu Roneros to a 5-4 win over Caballos De Cocle.

Wed, Nov 02, 2011 - Page 1

Granderson’s Grand Slam powers All-Stars to victory
MLB All-Star Curtis Granderson, second right, celebrates with his teammates after hitting a Grand Slam against Taiwan in their game in New Taipei City

Photo: Lin Cheng-kung

By Paul Huang / Contributing Reporter


Erick Aybar of the MLB All-Stars, top, throws the ball to first base to complete a double play after putting out Taiwan’s Chen Wei-chih in their game at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City yesterday

Photo: Lin Cheng-kung

The Major League All-Stars left nothing to the imagination as they ground out seven runs on as many hits to shut out Taiwan’s national team 7-0 in the rain-shortened opener of the Taiwan All-Star Series at the Sinjhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City (新北市) last night.

Led by Curtis Granderson’s Grand Slam off Taiwan starter Yang Yao-hsun (陽耀勳) in the top of the third, the visitors showed off their power by breaking a scoreless tie wide open with a long ball by the New York Yankees’ star outfielder on a two-for-three outing and went on to win in grand fashion.

Emilio Bonifacio of the Florida Marlins followed Granderson by driving in a pair of runs on a two-out single to right in the fourth inning.

Other than the downpour which started in the fifth inning, eventually forcing the officials to call off the game after 5-1/2 innings of play, the sellout Sinjhuang crowd was treated to an efficient display of big league offense that hurt their opponents in more than one way.

“I am quite pleased with how we did, except for not being able to drive in the runs when we had the chance. I guess we were more nervous than I thought,” Taiwan skipper Chen Wei-cheng (陳威成) said after the game.

His troops got off to a good start by placing runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but they could not come up with the big hits necessary to drive in the runs, leaving nothing to show for the six hits that they mustered off three different MLB pitchers.

Failure to cash in on their early success proved costly for Taiwan as All-Star starter Jeremy Guthrie overcame a shaky start by getting crucial outs when it counted the most, highlighted by an inning-ending double play in the second with the bases loaded to keep the shutout intact.

He was credited with the win for pitching three innings of shutout ball on four hits.

Taiwan’s Yang was tagged with the loss for giving up six of the seven runs that the All-Stars rang up on five hits over four innings of play.

The two teams will have today off as they travel south before tomorrow’s Game 2 at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, with the opening pitch scheduled for 6:30pm.

Granderson's slam sparks MLB in Taiwan

American stars break through in third inning of rain-shortened win

By Doug Miller / MLB.com | 11/01/11 11:00 AM ET

TAIPEI, Taiwan --

It didn't take long for Curtis Granderson to put the "grand" in his last name.

In a slamming 2011 Taiwan All-Star Series debut, the Yankees center fielder hit a ball out of Xinzhuang Stadium for a grand slam that paced the Major Leaguers to a 7-0 rain-shortened victory over Chinese Taipei in Tuesday night's opener before a packed house.

The game started a bit late because of day-long drizzle that turned into showers by nightfall, and the downpour finally halted play for good after the MLB team batted in the top of the sixth inning.
Curtis Granderson enjoys the sights in Taiwan before Tuesday's Taiwan All-Star Series opener. (Ben Platt/MLB.com)

None of it bothered the baseball-crazy fans of Taiwan, who crammed the ballpark and expressed their enthusiasm for both teams all night long.

"They were so into it and excited about the game -- enthusiastic -- and it didn't stop," MLB and San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's a tough night, the way it was raining, but they stayed out there. I was impressed. ... We appreciate their passion for the game, and it's neat to see here in Taiwan."

The first game of the series will air on MLB.com and MLB Network on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Games 2 and 3, played at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, will air on Thursday and Friday at 9 p.m. ET; and Games 4 and 5, played at Chengcing Lake Stadium in Kaohsiung, will air at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday and at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The month-long layoff since the end of MLB's regular season and the lack of batting practice because of the rain might have showed for the big leaguers in the first two innings. That was not the case in the third.

Chinese Taipei left-handed starter Yao-Hsun Yang, who had been doing well with a fastball in the 89- to 91-mph range and well-placed secondary pitches, lost a bit of command and paid for it.

Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison led off with a bloop single to center field, and Emilio Bonifacio of the Marlins and Angels shortstop Erick Aybar drew one-out walks to load the bases.

That set the stage for Granderson, who waited on a slider and drove it up, over the wall and clear out of the stadium in right field to give the big leaguers a 4-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

"Once he got to two strikes, he threw another slider, but it happened to be over the middle of the plate," Granderson said. "I finally got one I could handle and I put a good swing on it."

Bochy spoke with admiration of Granderson, who hit 41 homers in 2011 to lead the Yankees.

"He's had an incredible year, and I'm a fan, too," Bochy said. "I'm glad to have the chance to watch him play and to come here."

Yang, meanwhile, sounded like a Major League veteran in a postgame interview when asked about the Granderson at-bat.

"[Issuing walks] has been part of my problem," Yang said through an interpreter. "I feel like I executed the pitch, but it was just up, and he got me."

Granderson later added a single and scored on a Mike Morse RBI double in the fifth. Bonifacio accounted for MLB's other runs with a two-RBI single in the fourth.

The MLB team alternated between rustiness and brilliance on defense.

The boisterous, chanting crowd reached a frenzy in the bottom of the second, when an error by Robinson Cano while trying to turn a double play led to a sharp single by Chinese Taipei third baseman Wei-Chih Chen that loaded the bases.

Second baseman Pin-Chien Chen got the fans even more pumped up by working a 3-1 count against MLB starter Jeremy Guthrie, but his ground ball to Cano was handled perfectly. The Yankees' second baseman flipped to Aybar, who turned the inning-ending double play.

And in the bottom of the third, after Che-Hsuan Lin hit a leadoff double and moved to third on a Kuo-Hui Lo fielder's choice, third baseman Ryan Roberts charged Chun-Hsiu Chen's swinging bunt and threw on the run to barely record the third out in a highlight-reel play.

Guthrie pitched three scoreless innings, giving up four hits and striking out two, and he was relieved by Trevor Bell of the Angels and Phil Coke of the Tigers, who threw one shutout inning apiece.

"They were very good hitters who were able to get baserunners," Guthrie said of the Taiwan team. "They just weren't able to get any runs across because our pitchers made good pitches when they needed to."

All in all, though, Guthrie's final take on the game was shared by his teammates and manager: Taiwan is a great place to play, and the Chinese Taipei team appears to have a promising future.

"It was nice to get on the field and play against the team here from Taiwan," Guthrie said. "The biggest thing is we feel grateful to Taiwan and the city of Taipei for welcoming us here."

Added Bochy: "I thought they battled and really competed well. They have a lot of young players, but they had us on the ropes. You tip your cap. They were playing hard."

Roger Clemens could play in Puerto Rico

Clemens, one of the best pitchers in history, participated in a workout last Sunday with the Indians of Mayagüez, team with whom his son, Koby, will play this season.
Mayagüez trained with Clemens last Sunday

Tuesday November 1, 2011 01:00 PM

San Juan .-

The ex- major league pitch Roger Clemens could play with the Mayaguez Indians in the League of Professional Baseball of Puerto Rico, today published the newspaper "New Day." Clemens, one of the best pitchers in history, participated last Sunday in a training session with the Indians, whose team his son, Koby, will play this season. "I have the desire to pitch, that is one hundred percent sure. I have the desire to return to competition. He was at practice and made ​​the comment that he wants to play with his son, "said one team member who declined to be identified by the newspaper . The source stressed that Clemens physically looks great despite being 49 years and not appear to have been retired after playing 24 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. "They asked how long it could take be in game condition and he said it would take only a few days. Work hard and I did so with humility. He worked with the desire to help, "the source added. He ia a retired player-since 2007 - Clemens will not have to seek permission from Major League Baseball (MLB for short in English) to work on the Puerto Rican winter league. "He has not yet said for certain that he will pitch, but I know he has an interest in doing so. Clemens is going to stay until the opening day and leave a week after his family returns "said the insider. Clemens retired with 354 wins mark and 184 losses, the third most strikeouts (4672) and as the maximum time Cy Young Award winner, which means the best pitcher in a season in both leagues, American or National.