Taguig moving forward despite late struggles
Veterans pulling youngsters together for postseason surge
The Forward Taguig Patriots have made a drastic turnaround in Baseball Philippines Series 3 after dealing with several struggling performances in their initial campaign last year.
After an 0-3 start, Taguig went on a tear with a six-game winning run and although they ended up losing their last three games of the season, they still finished with an even 6-6 mark to barge into the first round of the playoffs with a twice-to-beat advantage over the chief nemesis Dumaguete Uni-bikers.
Patriots managaer Dennis Daep credited his team’s good chemistry in Series 3 compared to Series 2, when the then-expansion club was formed with players coming from various teams.
"Ngayon talaga maganda ang geling ng team kumpara noong last (season)," said Daep.
The team’s main cast is comprised of national team left-handed ace pitcher Ernesto Binarao and fellow Team RP mainstays Alejandro Velasquez, Ricardo Jimenez, and Ferdinand Recto.
"Malaki talaga ang tulong sa amin ng mga players sa national team," Daep mentioned. "Nabibigay nila sa team yung veteran leadership nila sa mga bata."
Taguig struggled early in Series 3, losing their first three games by a combined score of 30-15. However, the Patriots posted the league’s second longest winning streak of the season with six consecutive victories.
During the streak, they outscored their opponents 64-18, including scores of 14-0 and 10-0 over the struggling Makati Mariners.
"Talagang nagstep-up lahat ng players sa team nung sunod sunod ang panalo namin," said Daep, who is also a former national softball team member. "Kahit papaano nakatulong din sa amin yun para tumaas ang morale."
Ronaldo delos Reyes meanwhile has become a complimentary relief pitcher for Binarao in spelling the latter on starting assignments or closing out games, while Adamson University standout outfielder Richard Siacor and Series 2 holdovers Oman Samiano and Jeffrey Hardillo have played major roles as well.
Although Taguig ended the regular season on a three-game slide and lost its first game to Dumaguete in the initial round of the playoffs, Daep said that the team is working hard to find ways to win.
"Basta sa amin kapag natatalo kami walang sisihan, talagang naguusap sila para makahanap ng paraan para magimprove ang team," Daep mentioned.
The Uni-bikers have been particularly troublesome for the Patriots. Since beating Dumaguete in their inaugural encounter in Series 2, Taguig has now lost five straight games to the Uni-bikers.
As for next season, Daep said that the Patriots will prepare even better to be able to contend with such strong teams like the Manila Sharks and the Batangas Bulls.
"Training kami after ng season, siguro subukan namin makakuha ng utility player para makatulong sa team," quirked Daep.