Though he’d have liked to have returned to Everett with an Olympic medal around his neck, AquaSox third baseman Yung Chi Chen said being a part of Taiwan’s Olympic baseball team was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Chen, who returned from Athens late Thursday night and started at third base in Friday’s game, played third base for a Taiwan team that finished 3-4 and did not qualify for the medal rounds.
“I was satisfied with my performance,” Chen said through an interpreter. “I wish the team could have done a little better. Our expectations were very high. We were expecting at least a bronze medal, or to be a medal contender.”
Chen played in all seven of Taiwan’s games, hitting .208 (5-for-24) while generally batting eighth or ninth in the team’s lineup. He said he enjoyed every day that he was in Athens and was well aware of what it meant to be an Olympian.
“It was a great experience,” Chen said. “There was no one great moment. Every moment was special.”
Despite missing nearly three weeks of the Northwest League season, Chen maintained the league lead in stolen bases (22). His .297 batting average – third best among the AquaSox – will be warmly welcomed by a team that struggled to hit while losing the first four games of the series against Boise.
When asked if he was ready to help end the slide and deliver down the stretch, Chen smiled and said, “Of course.”
East beasts: Despite the fact the AquaSox let their West Division lead slip to a half-game over Vancouver heading into Friday’s game, better things may lie ahead.
Everett will finish up the regular season with nine games against teams from the West Division. The Frogs are 21-6 against the West this season, and a woeful 16-23 against the East.
Everett begins the final stretch with a three-game series at Vancouver before home and away three-game sets against Salem-Keizer. The AquaSox are 6-3 against Vancouver and 5-1 versus Salem-Keizer this season. The Frogs are the only West team with a winning record in divisional games. Only last-place Eugene (12-27 against the West and 20-45 overall) has a worse record against the East among all Northwest League teams.
Burger beasts: Prior to Friday’s game, four teams consisting of two Everett AquaSox employees each engaged in a cheeseburger-eating contest that left some feeling a bit nauseated.
Brad Baxter and Mike Shurtleff combined to wolf down 161/2 McDonald’s cheeseburgers in 20 minutes. Shurtleff won the “gold medal” by enduring 91/2 burgers. Ninety cheeseburgers were purchased for the competition. One team was eliminated because one of the members could not hold down his extended meal, which by rule leads to immediate disqualification.
Aaron Coe, Herald Writer
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