A view of the Taiwan Series Game Two between Uni-Lions and CTBC Brothers at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Taichung, Taiwan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)
The Chinese Professional Baseball regular season will conclude on October 15, and the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (41-3-34) are in first place in the full-season standings among the five organizations.
Looking ahead to the CPBL playoffs, there will be a Playoff Series if there are two different half-season champions. The half-season winner with the highest winning percentage receives an automatic bid to the Taiwan Series. The other half-season winner plays in the Playoff Series against the team with the next highest winning percentage. The winner of that series moves on to the Taiwan Series.
As the CPBL season reaches its final few months, let’s look at the biggest news and storylines from the past week.
Rakuten Monkeys Trade Four Players to TSG Hawks for Former MLB Infielder Lin Tzu-Wei
The Rakuten Monkeys have traded right-handed pitcher Weng Wei-Chun, left-handed pitcher Wang I-Chang, outfielder Lan Yin-Lun, and outfielder Wang Po-Jung to the TSG Hawks for infielder Lin Tzu-Wei.
Tzu-Wei Lin spent five years in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. He played 36 games across three Minor League Baseball levels with the New York Mets in 2022, hitting three home runs with a .164 batting average.
TSG Hawks manager Hong-I Chung is excited to see familiar faces on his roster. “Having these four players help our team tremendously,” he told ETtoday.Com. I coached all four of them during my time with the Lamigo Monkeys, and I wholeheartedly trust their on-field experience and attitudes towards the games.”
Weng Wei-Chun began the year with the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League. The 24-year-old had a 3.48 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
The TSG Hawks were established as a part of the CPBL expansion in 2022. The team will play its inaugural season in 2024.
