Taipei, March 14 (CNA) The Los Angeles Dodgers beat a Taiwanese All-Star team 11-1 in their second and final exhibition game in Taiwan Sunday, to earn a split with their hosts.
The Dodgers, visiting Taiwan for the second time in team history, exploded for 16 hits against the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) All-Stars less than 24 hours after the game scheduled for Saturday in Taipei was washed out due to heavy rain.
"Both teams played with a lot of energy, " Dodgers manager Joe Torre said after the game. He also voiced appreciation for Taiwanese fans' passion for the game and knowledge of baseball.
The National League team, which sent a split squad to Taiwan, is scheduled to fly back to Phoenix, Arizona Sunday night on a charter flight and resume its preparations for the new season.
The Dodgers offense relentlessly punished local pitchers after only managing three hits in a 5-2 loss Friday in Game 1 of what was supposed to be a three-game series before Saturday's game was rained out.
Designated hitter Manny Ramirez, first baseman James Loney and home-grown Hu Chin-lung each had three hits for the Dodgers, who jumped on the hosts early by scoring three runs in the opening inning and taking a 5-1 lead after the fifth.
Ramirez, the most popular non-Taiwan born player in the series, suggested he will have to play in the outfield a little bit more to get into shape before the season and said that he enjoyed the competition in Taiwan.
Angel Berroa drove in two runs with an RBI double in the eighth inning. Trayvon Robinson, who played for Dodgers' AA Chattanooga Lookouts, had a two-run home run, the series' only home run, off Taiwanese reliever Lin En-yu in the ninth.
The home team had nine hits but was unable to score with runners in scoring position. Chang Chien-ming led off with a double before Pan Wu-hsiung's RBI single sent him home for the only run of the game in the opening inning.
The game, played in Kaohsiung County Stadium in southern Taiwan, was special for the Dodgers' Kuo Hong-chih and Hu, both of whom come from that part of the country.
Kuo had to miss his scheduled start and an opportunity to pitch in front of his family due to a sore elbow. Hu did not disappoint the sold-out crowd with his multiple-hit performance.
"I'm sorry for not being able to pitch for you and my family today, but I'll be gearing up for the new season and hopefully things turn out well, " Kuo addressed the crowd after the game.
CPBL starting pitcher Pan Wei-lun allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings. Kao Kuo-ching was the only Taiwanese batter to get more than one hit.
The Dodgers, the only Major League Baseball team ever to play in Taiwan, first visited the country in 1993 with a full squad that included star players such as Mike Piazza, Orel Hershiser and Pedro Martinez.
The team finished with one win and two losses against a CPBL All-Star team.