Any time a record held by Red Sox legend Ted Williams is broken, it is certainly news worthy. His record of reaching base in 85 consecutive games was snapped by Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League player Lin Chih Sheng.
Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams is revered in the history of baseball for good reason. Perhaps the greatest player to ever set foot on the diamond, Williams place as one of the best hitters in baseball is secured. That legacy makes it noteworthy whenever one of his feats are approached, or surpassed, regardless of the level.
That makes Lin Chih Sheng’s feat in the Chinese Professional Baseball League important. In reaching base in his 85th consecutive game, the second baseman for the ChinaTrust Brothers broke Williams’ record for the most consecutive games having reached base, a record set back in 1949. His fourth inning double off of Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions pitcher Bruce Billings during the fourth inning set the mark.
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It is easy to be dismissive of this accomplishment. After all, the CPBL is not nearly at the same level as Major League Baseball, or even the more accomplished Japanese, Cuban or Korean Leagues. Yet, reaching base in 85 consecutive games is incredibly difficult, even in a weekend softball league. Nonetheless, Sheng, who is the highest paid player in the CPBL, has made his way into the record books with quite the incredible performance.
This is not the only accomplishment for the storied infielder. One of the best players in the CPBL, Sheng was the quickest player to hit 100 home runs in league history, and became the first player in CPBL history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. He captained Taiwan’s entry in the first World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 tournament, with the twelve highest rated international teams facing off against one another.
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Lin Chih Sheng may not be well known stateside, but he has surpassed one of the all time greats in the record books. It is time for Williams to step aside, and make room in the record books for Sheng.