Detroit: Detroit Tigers prospect Lee Hao-yu, the only active Taiwanese hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB), delivered an RBI single in a 7-1 home win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday. With his family in attendance, Lee drove in his fifth major league run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a ground ball deflected by Rangers second baseman Josh Smith into right field. The hit sparked a four-run frame for Detroit, which secured the three-game series with two wins.
According to Focus Taiwan, the hit came in the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect’s third and final plate appearance, after he struck out twice against Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter. With Detroit leading 3-1 with two outs and Kerry Carpenter on second base, Lee ripped a grounder off a 96.1 mph sinker to bring Carpenter home. He later advanced to third and scored on consecutive singles, marking Leiter’s fifth earned run. Leiter struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings but took the loss, his third of the season, as his earned run average rose to 5.45.
The 23-year-old Taiwanese is slashing .212/.278/.364 in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, respectively. He was called up by the Tigers in mid-April as an injury replacement for utility player Zach McKinstry, who hit a home run in his Triple-A debut Saturday as part of the final stage of his rehab assignment. It remains unclear whether the Tigers will keep Lee in the majors once McKinstry returns.
Detroit is tied atop the American League Central Division with the Cleveland Guardians at 18-17 after the Guardians’ 7-1 loss to the Athletics on Sunday, 1.5 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox (16-18).
Meanwhile, Taiwanese right-hander Teng Kai-wei recorded his third hold of the season Saturday, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Houston Astros’ 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. His ERA dipped to 2.57. Teng, who last pitched Tuesday, has emerged as a reliable arm in the Astros’ bullpen and recently made his first start of the season amid a shortage in the team’s pitching staff. Astros manager Joe Espada said Teng had been scheduled to start Sunday but was instead used Saturday due to team needs. Houston defeated Boston 3-1 on Sunday to improve to 14-21, ranking fourth in the American League West Division.