THE homecoming of the Cebu Dolphins turned out to be an unforgettable one for all the wrong reasons after the hometown favorites surrendered six runs in the last three innings to lose, 6-8, to the defending champions, Manila Sharks, in the Baseball Philippines Series 8 at the Aboitiz Sports Field in Mandaue City last Sunday.
The Sharks scored two runs each from the seventh to ninth innings to erase a 2-5 deficit in the fifth frame, stunning the Dolphins and their home fans in the first-ever out-of-Luzon game of the league. Jon Jon Robles didn’t yield a run and a hit in the final two innings in a big relief job while pushing the go-ahead run home in the eighth as Manila claimed the solo lead with an 8-1 (win-loss) record. Cebu dropped to 7-2.“The team just stuck with the game plan,” said Manila coach Jhoel Palanog. “We established our defense and pitching first, I knew that the offense will follow.” /Correspondent Jonas Panerio