The Chinese Professional Baseball League’s Taiwan Series is set after the Rakuten Monkeys defeated the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in the CPBL playoff series early Oct. 13.
The Monkeys, who trailed 2–0 in the series, won three straight games — including a comeback victory in the decisive Game 4 — to clinch their spot in the championship. They will face the CTBC Brothers beginning Oct. 18 in the best-of-seven Taiwan Series.
It was a thrilling matchup between the Monkeys and the Lions. Under CPBL rules, because the Uni-Lions won the first half of the regular season, they began the series with a 1–0 lead over the Monkeys.
Game 1 set the tone with a tight pitcher’s duel. Jackson Stephens of the Lions and Marcelo Martínez both pitched well into the seventh. Stephens was the only starter to finish the seventh, as with the score tied 1–1 heading into the frame, Martínez’s outing ended when Chia-Wei Lin delivered a two-out RBI single to put the Lions ahead 2–1. Their bullpen held, giving Uni-Lions a 2–0 series lead.
In Game 2, in their only home game of the series, the Monkeys avoided elimination with a 7–6 walk-off win. Sung Jia-Ziang hit a gapper over Lions center fielder Chia-Wei Lin’s head to seal the victory.
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The Lions had taken a 2–0 lead in the first inning and later stretched the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth. The Monkeys rallied, scoring three in the bottom of the sixth, one in the bottom of the eighth to tie it, and then delivered the walk-off in the bottom of the ninth.
In Game 3, the Monkeys rode momentum all the way to a 9–3 victory to force a fourth game. They knocked out Lions starter Yohander Méndez early as he allowed eight runs, four earned, and was pulled after 3 2/3 innings. Tzu-Wei Lin was the hero this game for the Monkeys, as he had two hits and three RBIs.
This forced a Game 4 win-or-go-home scenario. Beau Sulser started for the Monkeys and former Tampa Bay Ray Chih-Wei Hu started for the Lions. Both pitchers were sharp early, but in the bottom of the fifth the Lions scored two runs on RBI hits by Dai-An Lin and Hong-Xian Lin. Dai-An Lin added insurance in the bottom of the seventh with another RBI single. Closer Chen Yun-wen shut the door, and it looked over.
Then came the improbable: Chia-Jung Lin and Shin Jung Ho Pin both reached base, sending Chih-Ping Lin to bat. In his second at-bat of the game after coming in to pinch-hit, he hit a big-time clutch homer to left field to tie the game 3–3.
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In extra innings, the Monkeys scored one run in the top of the 10th and won 4–3 to seal the series. The improbable comeback in Game 4 capped off a series to remember.
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The Monkeys now face the CTBC Brothers in the 37th Taiwan Series. The Brothers have won three of the last four Taiwan Series and currently hold 10 championships dating back to their time as the Brother Elephants. They are the only franchise in CPBL history to win three consecutive titles twice, and they are aiming to become the second team to win four Taiwan Series in five years.
The Monkeys, meanwhile, aim to capture their eighth Taiwan Series title. This will be the fourth Taiwan Series meeting between these two clubs in the past nine years. In 2022, the Brothers swept the Monkeys. The Monkeys’ last championship came in 2019, when they were still known as the Lamigo Monkeys, in a five-game win over the CTBC Brothers.
You can stream the Taiwan Series on CPBL TV and Twitch, with highlights available on YouTube. Follow World Baseball Network on social media for updates.
WBN CPBL: https://worldbaseball.com/league/taiwan-2/chinese-professional-baseball-league/
