Taichung:The CTBC Brothers clinched the second-half title of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) with a decisive 12-1 victory over the TSG Hawks on Sunday, securing their place in the playoffs after a challenging first half of the season.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Brothers celebrated their league-record 21st half-season title in front of a sellout crowd of 20,000 at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. They finished the second half with a 36-24 record, recovering from a first-half performance that saw them placed last in the league with 20 wins, 37 losses, and two ties.
Manager Keiichi Hirano expressed gratitude to the fans for their support, acknowledging that it played a crucial role in the team's recovery. He stated the team's ambition to reclaim the top spot in Taiwan and urged continuous support from the fans.
Nivaldo Rodriguez was instrumental in the Brothers' victory, allowing only one run on four hits over seven innings and striking out five, marking his 12th win of the season. Offensive contributions came from Wang Wei-chen, who collected three hits and four RBIs, and Huang Wei-sheng, who also drove in four runs. The team scored three runs in the first inning, added two in the fifth, and extended their lead with four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth.
The Brothers are set to face the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in a playoff series starting October 9. The Lions qualified by finishing second in the full-season standings. The winner of this series will advance to the Taiwan Series to meet the Wei Chuan Dragons, who secured their place by winning the first half and achieving the best full-season winning percentage.
As the second-half champions, the Brothers will begin the playoff series with a one-win advantage. They need two victories to advance, while the Lions require three. The series opener will be hosted by the Brothers at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, with subsequent games to be held in Tainan and possibly returning to Taichung.
The best-of-seven Taiwan Series is scheduled to start on October 17 at Taipei Dome, with the Dragons hosting the initial games. The location of Games 3 and 4 will depend on the outcome of the playoff series, either continuing at Taipei Dome if the Brothers advance or moving to Tainan if the Lions qualify.
