After four days of baseball from late-game heroics to dominant performances, the 2018 Palomino World Series was about to come to a close. However, one more game remained. The game to claim the right as the 2018 Palomino World Series Champion.
Championship Game: Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei 2 Los Angeles California 0
The time had finally come for the 2018 Palomino World Series Championship in Laredo, Texas. Both Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei and Los Angeles, California enter the game with perfect, 3-0 records. It was time for the two most dominant teams in the tournament to square off and claim the crown of Palomino World Series Champion. Coming down to the final inning, Chinese Taipei stuck to its small ball mentality and came out victorious by winning 2-0.
Coming into the game, both teams scored plenty of runs to go around, but it was the pitching that carried both teams. Chinese Taipei had opened the scoring in the first inning in its previous three games but this time the Asia-Pacific representatives went down in order. Los Angeles got the first hit in the bottom of the second but left the runner on-base to end the inning.
In the top of the second, Chinese Taipei got its first runner on the bases but followed Los Angeles and left him stranded to end the half inning. Both teams repeated this pattern until the top of the fifth when Chinese Taipei had its first chance to get on the board. After two singles by Chia-Wei Lin and Kuo-Chin Yen, both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch.
Kun-Yu Chiang grounded into a fielder’s choice that eliminated Chia-Wei Lin as he tried to go home. As Chia-Wei was in a rundown, Kuo-Chin Yen and Kun-Yu Chiang both advanced to third and second, respectively. However, with 2-outs, Yi-Lung Ho grounded out the end the top of the fifth.
Both teams went down in order until the top of the seventh when the Chinese Taipei offense arose to the occasion. Po-Hsuan Wang led off the inning with a double. Wen-Yi Kuo grounded out to second but was able to move Po-Hsuan to third. Chia-Wei drew a walk and with runners on the corners and one out, Kuo-Chin delivered what would be the game winning play. Kuo-Chin laid a bunt down the third base line. As the ball rolled up the line, Po-Hsuan broke for home and scored while Kuo-Chin was thrown out at first.
While all this was happening, Chia-Wei ran on the pitch and ended up at third by the time the play was over. Kun-Yu, in the very next at-bat, hit a single up the middle to score Chia-Wei and give Chinese Taipei the 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Los Angeles’ James Espalin reached on an error to lead off the inning. Despite committing its second error of the whole tournament, Chinese Taipei answered by turning a 6-4-3 double play. Down to its final out, Los Angeles sent up pinch hitter, George Eaves to the plate. Chinese Taipei starting pitcher, Reui-Yang Gu Lin, preserved his 2-hit shutout by getting Eaves to pop up to second base and winning Chinese Taipei the 2018 Palomino World Series by the final of 2-0.
Reui-Yang was the victorious pitcher, going all seven innings, only allowing two hits and striking out seven batters. Chia-Wei led the team in batting as he went a perfect, 2-for-2 from the plate while scoring once and drawing a walk.
This very team is the same one who claimed the 2015 Dick's Sporting Goods Pony World Series Championship and is the first Chinese Taipei team to win the Palomino World Series since 2012 when a team from Taoyuan County claimed the championship.
Box Score
Broadcast
2018 Palomino World Series Champion: Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei
2018 Palomino World Series Finalist: Los Angeles, California
2018 Palomino World Series Batting Champion: Kuo-Chin Yen, Chinese Taipei (.700 BA (7-10, 13 PA), 4 RBI, 3 Runs)
2018 Palomino World Series ERA Champion: Kuo-Chien Chaing, Chinese Taipei (0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 2 wins, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 K)