April 15th, 2008: Wenzhou at Hangzhou

Today's post is a little bit shorter and has fewer pictures, since I still have a bit of homework to do. All comments are welcome, as always. I'm still trying to set up a free website to host all boxscores and statistics.

April 15^th, 2008

Wenzhou Merchants at Hangzhou Eagles

HANGZHOU -- Opening day at West Lake Stadium turned out to be a doozy, as the game was not settled until Tony Fernandez’ triple to center field in the bottom of the 12^th inning.

Hangzhou’s starting pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander threw seven strong innings, striking out seven and giving up no earned runs. However, Wenzhou was able to capitalize on three untimely Hangzhou errors, scoring three unearned runs in the process. Only Louis Santop’s second inning two-run blast and Buck Leonard’s homer in the bottom of the sixth kept Hangzhou alive.

Wenzhou’s best chance to win came in the top of the 8^th, as pinch hitter Hugh Duffy walked with one out. However, on relief pitcher Bill Campbell’s third throw to the bag, Duffy was caught wandering off.

Excellent pitching ruled the day, as both teams combined for 20 strikeouts in the 12 innings. The game was also marred by horrendous fielding, with 7 errors committed in all.

Click here for boxscore.

Today’s other games

Northeastern League

Beijing Mets 4, Seoul Blue Dragons 2 At Beijing, the Mets overcame King Kelly’s three hits in five at bats to win their opening game. Lefty Grove picked up the win, Ferguson Jenkins the loss. Harry Heilmann was injured for Beijing after being struck by a Firpo Marberry pitch, and will miss the next 25 days.

Harbin Icecaps 4, Nishinomiya Tigers 3 At Harbin, Pelayo Chacon lead the Icecaps with a stellar 3-for-3 batting performance, as Harbin overcame an early 3-0 deficit to win. Nishinomiya starter Randy Johnson racked up 7 strikeouts in 6 innings, but gave up 6 walks in the process. After collecting a single in the third inning, Nishinomiya’s star Sadaharu Oh came up limp, and will miss the next 19 days.

Tianjin Lions 8, Shenyang Defenders 4 At Shenyang, Curt Schilling struck out 7 Defenders over 7 innings, and Ivan Rodriguez went a perfect 3-for-3 in the Lions’ convincing win.

Beijing Red Dragons 10, Tokyo Giants 3 At Tokyo, the Red Dragons overwhelmed the vaunted Tokyo pitching staff, scoring 6 runs in the first 3 innings. Enos Slaughter, Willie Mays and Toby Harrah all homered in the process. Beijing’s pitching dealt with superstar Barry Bonds by walking him three times in his four plate appearances.

Southeastern League

Ningbo Stallions 5, Hefei Hope Stars 2 At Hefei, Greg Maddux went 9 strong innings, fanning 7 and allowing only 6 runs, as Ningbo spoiled Hefei’s opening day.

Nanjing Monarchs 6, Shanghai Red Sox 2 At Shanghai, Pedro Martinez struck out 12 in 8 1/3 innings, paving the way for Nanjing’s big win. Nanjing’s Ichiro Suzuki lead the way with two triples, and Will Clark went three-for-four. Nanjing second baseman Ryne Sandberg was injured for one game.

Suzhou Artisans 5, Shanghai White Sox 4 At Suzhou, two long rain delays removed both starting pitchers from the game early and threatened to wash opening day out completely. Suzhou took advantage of the damp conditions, scoring 5 times in the bottom of the second inning, and holding on for the win.

Northwestern League

Jinan Leopards 5, Taiyuan Kylin 4 At Jinan, Denny Martinez scattered 4 Taiyuan runs over 8 innings, fanning 10 in the process. Four home runs were hit, as both teams took advantage of the tiny Shandong Bowl’s offensive friendly conditions.

Urumqi Flying Tigers 6, Luoyang White Horse 3 At Urumqi, Bert Blyleven and four relievers helped Urumqi set Luoyang down.

Zhengzhou Dragons 12, Xi’an Wild Geese 6 At Zhengzhou, Darryl Strawberry and Reggie Jackson contributed three hits each, as Zhengzhou ran past the Wild Geese. Zhengzhou starter Gaylord Perry was injured after one inning, and will miss the next 12 days.

Southwestern League

Chongqing Fog 14, Guangzhou Fire 5 At Chongqing, the Fog lineup sent Nolan Ryan to the showers early, exploding for a 6 run 5^th inning. Bill Pettus, Dan Brouthers and Stan Musial led Chongqing’s hitting with three hits each.

Fuzhou Whales 5, Chengdu Spice 4 (11) At Fuzhou, Max Carey’s base hit and stolen base led the way for Ron Fairly’s 11^th inning game winning single.

Lhasa Monks 9, Xianggang Reds 8 At Lhasa, an exciting seesaw affair was not settled until the bottom of the 9^th inning, when Stan Spence hit a walk off homer to win it. Ugueth Urbina’s blown save spoiled the day for Xianggang.

Taibei Brother Elephants 4, Yunnan Bulls 3 At Yunnan, Alex Rodriguez lead the way with a 3-for-5 batting assault, and Troy Percival picked up the save for Taibei.