Two locals named in Asia Series fixing scheme deny roles

[WildestDreams]

Two locals named in Asia Series fixing scheme deny roles

The China Post news staff
November 29, 2013, 12:07 am TWN

Chinese Professional Baseball League chief Huang Chen-tai (黃鎮台) signs a ball during a league draft, yesterday. Huang's resignation has been called for after it was discovered that he had withheld information about a game-fixing attempt until after the game in question had finished. Baseball fans at yesterday's event, however, expressed their support for Huang, asking him not to step down. (CNA)

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Two individuals accused of attempting to fix an Asia Series game voluntarily presented themselves to local investigating authorities on Wednesday and denied that they had offered money to Canberra Cavalry catcher Matt Blazyniski.

The two, a man surnamed Lin and a woman surnamed Sung, were released after questioning.

Local investigators pointed out that Blazyniski is not a part of his team's starting lineup, and that he had not played in the game against the Samsung Lions, the game which the catcher claimed he was asked to throw.

Blazyniski, however, claimed that two individuals approached him at a nightclub in Taichung, offering to pay him US$30,000 if he could get his team to lose by seven points in its game against the Samsung Lions — an accusation which both Lin and Sung denied, saying that Blazyniski had approached them to strike up a conversation.

Investigators said that they are hoping to get Blazyniski to return to Taiwan for questioning.

According to investigators, Blazyniski went to a nightclub on Nov. 18. Lin, Sung and an unidentified foreigner arrived at the nightclub later. Blazyniski was seen talking to the foreigner, while Sung left first. Afterward, the Australian catcher left with Lin and the foreigner to drink elsewhere.

Investigators said that in order to fix matches, bookies usually approach starting pitchers and catchers, offering NT$2 million to the former and between NT$800,000 and NT$1 million to the latter.

Blazyniski, a second-string catcher, was not likely in a position to influence the game's results, investigators said, adding that it makes no sense for bookies to approach a second-string catcher in order to fix a game.

Moreover, Blazyniski's claim that he had been asked to get his team to lose seven point seems far fetched because even starting pitchers get called off the mound for losing three to four points, investigators said, adding that in order to get the Australian team to lose seven points, it would be necessary for bookies to pay off the entire team, which would likely require an amount several times the alleged US$30,000.