CTBC Brothers Win Game 5 to Extend Series

After a typhoon in Taiwan forced Game 5 to be postponed from its originally scheduled Friday date, the two teams met Sunday, with the Wei Chuan Dragons getting a second chance to win the Taiwan Series. The Brothers were looking to become the first team in Taiwan Series history to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0.

The postponement significantly benefited the Brothers. The 48-hour delay allowed them to start one of their top arms, Nivaldo Rodríguez, on four days’ rest, while the Dragons countered with John Gant, the CPBL’s top pitcher in 2026.

After a scoreless first inning, the Brothers put a runner on second with two outs in the top of the second. Kun-Yu Chiang delivered a single to left field, and Wei-Chen Wang just got his foot in ahead of the tag at home plate to give the Brothers a 1-0 lead. It was their first run of the series against the Dragons’ ace.

The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth. With two outs, Chiang continued his big night with his second consecutive two-out hit, an RBI double that gave the Brothers a 2-0 lead. After starting the series 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in Games 1-3, the Brothers had gone 5-for-13 in those situations through the fourth inning, including Chiang’s RBI double.

After allowing a leadoff double to begin the first inning, Rodríguez retired the next 11 batters in a row to complete 3 2/3 scoreless innings. The Dragons finally broke through against him with two outs in the fourth. Ji-Hong Liu hit a ball that barely cleared the left-field fence for a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 2-1 after four innings.

Both starters kept the score at 2-1 through six innings. In the top of the seventh, the Brothers put a runner on second with one out after a walk and a stolen base. Tung-Hua Yueh delivered a huge hit, doubling just past first baseman Yu-Hsien Chu to extend the lead to 3-1. The hit ended Gant’s outing after 6 1/3 innings. After scoring just one run combined against the Dragons’ top three starters in Games 1-3, the Brothers scored three runs against Gant in Game 5.

After a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh, Rodríguez was removed from the game. The Dragons responded with a run on Cheng-Yu Chang’s RBI double to left-center field. Tian-Shin Kuo followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3, as the Dragons took advantage of Rodríguez’s exit.

After delivering the game-tying single, Kuo made a diving catch in center field in the eighth inning to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring.

With the Brothers once again needing a win to extend the series, they turned to Game 2 starter Félix Peña in relief for the second consecutive game. After the Dragons put two runners on with two outs, Peña struck out Ji-Hong Liu to keep the game tied at 3 after eight innings.

Chiang opened the ninth with a single off Dragons closer Kai-Wei Lin, recording his third hit of the game. After a sacrifice bunt, Chiang continued to make things happen by stealing third with one out. The Brothers had the go-ahead run just 90 feet away.

Wei-Sheng Huang then lifted a fly ball to right field, and Chiang just beat the tag at home plate to give the Brothers a 4-3 lead.

Peña retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth. Fittingly, Chiang recorded the final out on a ground ball to shortstop, capping his finest performance of the postseason and securing a 4-3 victory for the Brothers.

The win keeps the Brothers alive and makes them the first team in Taiwan Series history to force a Game 6 after losing the first three games. They are halfway to completing the unthinkable: winning four straight games to pull off the greatest comeback in CPBL history.

The story of the series has been the Brothers’ struggles with runners in scoring position. They went 0-for-11 in Games 1-3 but have gone 6-for-17 in Games 4 and 5. The CPBL’s best offense in the second half of the season has come alive at the right time, helping the Brothers climb back into the series.

In Game 6 on Monday, the Brothers will send Game 1 starter Mario Sánchez to the mound as they try to force a winner-take-all Game 7. The Dragons will counter with CC Mercedes.

Sánchez has made two appearances in the series, posting a 2.38 ERA over 11 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. Mercedes made his lone appearance in Game 2, pitching six innings and allowing one run while recording three strikeouts.