BASEBALL/Taiwan's Gu Lin secures first win in Japan NPB

Taipei, May 2 (CNA) Gu Lin Ruei-yang (古林睿煬), the 2024 MVP of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), showed over 38,000 spectators in Fukuoka on Thursday why he was worth the high expectations fans in both Japan and Taiwan had for him.

In just his second start in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Gu Lin struck out 10 and gave up two runs over seven innings, leading his visiting Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to a 3-2 victory over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to sweep the three-game series.

The game marked the first win by a Taiwanese starting pitcher in the NPB in four years, and the first by a CPBL-to-NPB Taiwanese pitcher since 2007.

"I want to give the ball to my wife to thank her for helping me focus on the game," Gu Lin said in a post-game interview.

"Overall, my pitching was great today. A big thank-you to my teammates for playing well, which gave me a great sense of security and allowed me to pitch with confidence," he said.

In his debut on April 23 against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Gu Lin gave up seven runs in 5 2/3 innings, including five earned, while striking out five.

Thursday's game started similarly, with the right-handed flamethrower allowing two runs on three hits in the opening frame.

But he bounced back by retiring the next six batters, striking out four across the next two innings.

The Hawks would only get a runner in scoring position one more time against Gu Lin during his seven-inning stint, in the bottom of the fifth, when Hiroki Minei singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.

The 24-year-old Taiwanese responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

"I think he's the type of pitcher who grows stronger the more he wins. I can't help but look forward to seeing his progress," Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo was quoted as saying by Nikkan Sports.

"After his left foot lands, there's a slight delay before he releases the ball, so it jams the hitters. That small delay is an incredible weapon. It's not something you can develop through practice -- it's a natural-born talent."

Gu Lin's ERA dropped to 4.97 after the game.

Across his first two starts, he has issued four walks and allowed 14 hits to 57 batters, including one home run.

The Fighters sit second in the six-team Pacific League with a 15-12 record, one game behind the 15-10 Orix Buffaloes and half a game ahead of the Saitama Seibu Lions, now 14-12.

The team will next host the Lions for two games on Saturday and Sunday.