Uni-President Lions to Vie for Championship after Defeating Japan in Asia Series

Uni-President Lions to Vie for Championship after Defeating Japan in Asia Series

Sources: All Taipei newspapers

November 20, 2013

Taiwan is currently hosting the 2013 Asia Series International Baseball Tournament. The first games were played on November 15 and the Final match will be held tonight, November 20. Last night (November 19), Taiwan's Uni-President Lions defeated Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Japan’s newly-crowned professional baseball champions, in a 4-1 victory to enter the Final. Uni-President Lions will pull out all the stops in tonight’s match against the Canberra Cavalry of Australia at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in the hope of winning Taiwan’s first championship in the Asia Series.

Before last night’s victory, Taiwan's professional baseball teams had lost nine, and Uni-President Lions four, consecutive matches against Japanese teams in the history of the Asia Series. Furthermore, as a result of its defeat yesterday, Japan did not enter the Asia Series Final for the first time since its inaugural session in 2005. It will also be the first Final between Taiwan and Australia. If Uni-President Lions win the championship tonight, Taiwan will enjoy a successful ending to this year’s baseball mania.

In the past six tournaments, Japanese professional baseball teams had participated in all the Finals and took home five championship cups. This year is the first time Japan failed to make it through to the Final, and also the first time that neither a Japanese nor South Korean professional baseball team has reached the Final in the Asia Series.

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