Taiwan Baseball (CPBL): News, Notes, and Where to Watch

As the second half of the 2024 Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) season progresses, here is a look at the top news and notes from the last week in Taiwan’s highest level of professional baseball.

Hawks 1B Wu Nien-Ting Struck in Face by Grounder

TSG Hawks first baseman Wu Nien-Ting was struck in the face by a line-drive ground ball in Saturday’s 11-4 win over the Rakuten Monkeys. After the game, the Hawks announced Wu had suffered a nasal bone and lower orbital fracture and would undergo surgery.

Leading 8-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Wu slid on his knees to the right of first base to make what would have been a spectacular play. The line drive smoked off the bat of Monkey’s first baseman, Lee Hsun-Chieh, and darted off Wu’s face toward second base. The Hawks managed to record the final out of the inning, but Wu was left kicking his feet in pain on the infield dirt. The medical team carried Wu off the field on a stretcher.

Before his injury, Wu hit .240 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 36 games with the Hawks. He played seven seasons in NPB with the Saitama Seibu Lions from 2016-23, mostly with their Eastern League farm team.

CTBC Brothers Release LHP Shawn Morimando

On Saturday, the CTBC Brothers released former Cleveland Guardian and Miami Marlin Shawn Morimando, a left-handed pitcher who also played in the Korea Baseball Organization for the SSG Landers in 2022.

Morimando spent most of the 2024 CPBL season playing for the Brothers farm team, rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in April 2023. Morimando made one start for the Brothers before his release, allowing one earned run with three strikeouts in four innings.

The 31-year-old, born in Canandaigua, New York, was excellent in 2022 with the SSG Landers, posting a 1.67 ERA in 12 starts (75.1 innings). Morimando could be considered a journeyman professional pitcher. Still, he also holds the record for most strikeouts in a single season (115) and a single game (15) at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Bill Bray is the only other Ocean Lakes High School product to play in MLB.

MVP’s of the Month (August)

Each month of the 2024 CPBL season, the league names the Pitcher of the Month and Batter of the Month. For August, starting pitcher Gu Lin Ruei-Yang of the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions won Pitcher of the Month honors, and catcher Giljegiljaw Kungkuan of the Wei Chuan Dragons was named Batter of the Month.

Gu Lin Ruei-Yang, 24, is putting up career-best numbers in 2024 for the Uni-Lions. His success continued in August, posting a 2-0 record with a 0.68 ERA in four starts (26.2 innings). So far in 2024, Gu has thrown a career-high 110 innings with 132 strikeouts.

Giljegiljaw Kungkuan was a pitcher’s worst nightmare in August, smashing eight home runs with 20 RBI in just 20 games. He ranks second in the CPBL with 22 home runs, three behind TSG Hawks outfielder Steven Moya. They may not hit more dingers than Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, but it’s sure to be an exciting finish between the two veterans.

This Day in Taiwanese Baseball History

On September 5, 2018, Lamigo Monkeys designated hitter Liao Chen-Fu went 2-for-2 with a home run in a 5-1 win over the Fubon Guardians to raise his season average to .399.

Liao finished 2018 with a .387 batting average, the highest of his career, with more than 50 games played. In 2024, he’s hitting .289 with five home runs and 34 RBI for the Rakuten Monkeys.

Liao played for Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in the 2023 Asian Baseball Championship, going 0-for-4 in the Gold Medal game loss against Japan. He was the first overall pick in the 2017 CPBL Draft.

CPBL Standings as of Thursday, September 5

1. CTBC Brothers (24-0-14)
   2. Wei Chuan Dragons (21-0-17)
   3. Rakuten Monkeys (21-0-18)
   4. Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions (19-0-20) 5. TSG Hawks (18-0-22)
   6. Fubon Guardians (13-0-25)

You can watch every Chinese Professional Baseball League game on DAZN.

Photo Credit: Nien-Ting Wu #39 of Team Chinese Taipei reacts while rounding the bases after hitting a two-run home run. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)