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Taiwanese infielder Kuo trying to find a niche with the Staten Island Yankees
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Fu-Lin Kuo sat in a trainer’s room with ice wrapped around his left ankle, but the folks in Tainan City, Taiwan need not worry. The Staten Island Yankees second baseman said the foot just felt a little stiff and he’s not injured.

“I feel much better now,” said Kuo after delivering two hits in his New York-Penn League debut during the Brooklyn Cyclones’ 7-2 victory over the Baby Bombers last night before an announced crowd of 6,165 at St. George.

Kuo was scouted by the Yankees and signed by Taiwanese scout Ken Su in 2009 for a reported $150,000. He spent the past two seasons in the Gulf Coast League, hitting four homers each summer and showing enough promise for a promotion.

“He’s a good little ballplayer,” said Staten Island manager Justin Pope. “He’s a utility infielder … can play first, second and third. He had some solid at-bats (tonight).”

Kuo batted ninth in the lineup and poked a broken-bat RBI single into centerfield in the fifth inning and followed with a double to left field in the seventh. Leadoff batter Taylor Dugas also had a solid night in his debut as starting centerfielder, picking up a double in the first, single in the third and walk in the seventh.

Kuo, 21, said he started playing baseball at the age of 11, about the same time countryman Chien-Ming Wang was cutting his pitching teeth with the Staten Island Yankees on his way to the Bronx. Kuo attended Nan-Ying High School and played on the 2008 IBAF Taiwanese youth national team.

“He’s very fundamentally sound,” said Pope, who became familiar with Kuo during extended spring training in Tampa.

Kuo sounded pleased that his English has improved to the extent that he doesn’t need a translator when speaking to reporters.

As for the Baby Bombers, it was a rough night. They lost their third straight game against the Cyclones to open the 76-game season, and have been outscored 13-3 while racking up strikeouts at a rapid pace.

Eudy Pina’s three-run homer off the scoreboard in left centerfield gave Brooklyn a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning to spoil lefty Evan Rutckyj’s NY-P League debut. Rutckyj displayed an effective fastball and slider in striking out seven in 4 two-thirds innings, but the Windsor, Ontario, native encountered control problems and then the one bad pitch.

Staten Island actually had its first lead of the season when Jose Rosario followed Dugas’ leadoff double with a triple to left field. The quick 1-0 lead brought the players off the bench.

Rosario, however, was stranded at third and, although Cal-Berkeley product Danny Oh’s leadoff ground-rule double to left was followed by Kuo’s RBI hit in the fifth, the Cyclones tacked on three runs in the sixth for a 6-2 lead.

A steady procession from both bullpens — four hurlers from each side entered the contest — made for a lengthy 3-hour, 22-minute affair on a sweltering night.

“Tomorrow’s another day,” said Pope. “We’ll get things going. I think our guys might be trying to do too much right now.”

Kuo hopes those plans will include himself, although he understands there are no guarantees when it comes to playing time.

“I’m working hard to take advantage of opportunities,” he said. “I have to be ready every day.” 

NOTES: The season-opening four-game series concludes tonight at MCU Park in Coney Island. The Yankees then travel to Hudson Valley tomorrow night and host the Renegades Saturday night.

For more: http://www.silive.com

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