The Chinese Professional Baseball League is entering the final week of the first half, and a first-half champion has officially been crowned.
Wei Chuan Dragons clinch first-half title
The Wei Chuan Dragons secured the first-half championship Saturday, punching their ticket to the postseason with a 4-0 victory over the TSG Hawks.
Starter Drew Gagnon delivered one of the most dominant performances of the CPBL season, striking out 13 batters across eight shutout innings. The veteran right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.92, while all four members of the Dragons’ primary rotation now own ERAs below 2.00.
After a scoreless game through seven innings, Wei Chuan broke through with three runs in the eighth inning before adding another in the ninth to seal the victory.
The win guarantees the Dragons a playoff berth later this year.
The CPBL postseason format features three teams: the first-half champion, the second-half champion and a wild-card team determined by the next-best overall record during the regular season.
If the same club wins both halves, it automatically advances to the Taiwan Series, while the next two teams with the best overall records meet in a playoff series for the right to challenge for the championship. If different teams win each half, the half-season winner with the better overall record advances directly to the Taiwan Series, while the other half-season champion faces the wild-card team in a playoff series.
With a five-game lead over the second-place Fubon Guardians and a guaranteed playoff spot already secured, the Dragons are in excellent position to contend for a direct berth in the Taiwan Series.
The biggest reason for Wei Chuan’s first-half title has been a level of pitching dominance rarely seen in league history. The Dragons entered the week with a team ERA of 2.27, a mark that would rank as the best full-season figure in CPBL history.
Led by foreign starters John Gant, Cristopher Mercedes, Marcelo Martínez and Gagnon, Wei Chuan has overwhelmed opposing lineups throughout the first half and established itself as the team to beat in Taiwan.
Rakuten Monkeys bolster offense
The Rakuten Monkeys announced the signing of outfielder Ronnie Dawson in an effort to boost one of the league’s least productive offenses.
The 31-year-old former major leaguer spent the season with the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League, posting a .966 OPS with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.
Rakuten enters the final week of the first half ranked last in the CPBL in both team OPS (.605) and runs scored per game (2.87). The Monkeys are the only club in the league averaging fewer than 3.5 runs per contest.
Dawson is expected to join the club and be available sometime in mid-July.
Fubon Guardians add pitching depth
Martinez most recently pitched for the Lancaster Stormers of the Atlantic League, where he posted a 2.94 ERA across nine starts while recording 40 strikeouts.
The Guardians entered the week with a 31-25 record and ranked fifth in the CPBL in team ERA. Martinez will be expected to help stabilize the rotation as Fubon attempts to remain in playoff contention during the second half.
All-Star rosters announced
Voting for the 2026 CPBL All-Star Game has concluded, with the annual showcase set for July 18-19 at Taipei Dome.
This year’s event will again feature Team Star against Team Taiwan. Team Taiwan will consist primarily of the league’s top Taiwanese players under the age of 24 as they prepare for the Asian Professional Baseball Championship later this year.
CTBC Brothers shortstop Kun-Yu Chiang led all players with 579,003 votes. The Brothers also claimed each of the top 10 spots in fan voting despite finishing the first half in last place, highlighting the strength of the club’s fan support.
Team Taiwan roster
Pitchers:
Tung-Ming Li (Fubon Guardians)
Chun Lee (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Chao Li (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Tzu-Wei Lin (Rakuten Monkeys)
Shi-Xiang Lin (TSG Hawks)
Ki-Ye Chen (Rakuten Monkeys)
Chia-Hsiang Liu (Rakuten Monkeys)
Shao-En Lin (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions), Hong-Liang Wei (TSG Hawks)
Wei-Chiang Kao (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Yun-Hua Chung (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Qun Huang (TSG Hawks)
Jia-Hui Zeng (Rakuten Monkeys)
Meng-Yang Lu (CTBC Brothers)
Zhen-Cheng Lin (Fubon Guardians)
Catchers:
Jia-Xiang Sung (Rakuten Monkeys)
Hsiang Chang (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Infielders:
Tzu-Hao Lin (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Jun-Wei Liu (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Shr-Lun Chang (CTBC Brothers)
Nian-Hao Wang (Fubon Guardians)
Tzu-Yu Tseng (TSG Hawks)
Jen-Wei Chang (CTBC Brothers)
Chieh-Sen Ma (Rakuten Monkeys)
Hsun-Chieh Lee (Rakuten Monkeys).
Outfielders:
Ting-Lun Hsu (CTBC Brothers)
Yi-Cheng Wang (Fubon Guardians)
Cheng-Jui Sung (CTBC Brothers)
Chia-Wei Lin (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Shin-Jung Ho Pin (Rakuten Monkeys)
Team Star roster
Pitchers:
Nivaldo Rodríguez (CTBC Brothers)
Tzu-Peng Huang (TSG Hawks)
Brock Dykxhoorn (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Chun-Lin Kuo (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions), Yen-Ching Lu (CTBC Brothers)
Yi Chang (Fubon Guardians)
Kun-Hao Chiang (Fubon Guardians)
Cristopher Mercedes (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Kuan-Yu Chen (Rakuten Monkeys)
Jyun-Yue Tseng (Fubon Guardians)
C.C. Lee (CTBC Brothers).
Catchers:
Yu-Chieh Kao (CTBC Brothers)
Pei-Feng Dai (Fubon Guardians).
Infielders:
Wei-Chen Wang (CTBC Brothers)
Nien-Ting Wu (TSG Hawks)
Kuo-Chen Fan (Fubon Guardians)
Kun-Yu Chiang (CTBC Brothers)
Chi-Hung Hsu (CTBC Brothers)
Sheng-Ping Chen (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Tung-Hua Yueh (CTBC Brothers)
Kai-Wei Li (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Chun-Hsiu Chen (CTBC Brothers)
Yu Chang (Fubon Guardians)
Yung-Chi Chen (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions).
Outfielders:
Chih-Hao Chang (CTBC Brothers)
Chen-Wei Chen (Rakuten Monkeys)
Tian-Shin Kuo (Wei Chuan Dragons),
Wu -Jie Chen (TSG Hawks)
Chieh-Hsien Chen (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Cheng-Hua Yueh (CTBC Brothers)
CPBL standings
- Wei Chuan Dragons (38-20)
- Fubon Guardians (31-25)
- TSG Hawks (30-28-1)
- Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (28-28-1)
- Rakuten Monkeys (21-32-2)
- CTBC Brothers (19-34)
