Uni-Lions Advance to 2024 Taiwan Series

On October 14, the Uni-Lions defeated the Rakuten Monkeys 8-5 in Game 3 of the 2024 Playoff Series, securing a 3-1 series victory. With this win, the Uni-Lions advance to the final round of the postseason, where they will face the CTBC Brothers in the 2024 Taiwan Series.

Note: The Uni-Lions, being the half-season champion, were awarded a 1-0 advantage in the Playoff Series against the Rakuten Monkeys.

2024 Playoff Series Game 1

Game 1 was a classic low-scoring affair, with both teams’ pitching staffs keeping the opposing lineups in check. The Uni-Lions’ ace, 古林睿煬 (Gu Lin Ruei-Yang), who is expected to file for international free agency at the end of the season, delivered a stellar performance. The 24-year-old flamethrower allowed just 1 run and struck out 5 over 7 innings.

Relievers 陳韻文 (Chen Yun-Wen) and 邱浩鈞 (Chiu Hao-Chun) each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the 2-1 victory for the Uni-Lions.

Rakuten Monkeys’ starter Pedro Fernández also had a solid outing, giving up 2 runs over 7 innings, but the Monkeys’ lineup couldn’t get much going against the Uni-Lions’ pitchers.

2024 Playoff Series Game 2

In Game 2, facing elimination, the Monkeys’ offence exploded, racking up 17 runs on 23 hits to stay alive in the series. The Uni-Lions’ starter Logan Ondrusek was knocked out after just 2.2 innings, giving up 5 runs, while the bullpen fared no better, allowing three 4-run innings in the fourth, seventh, and eighth.

林泓育 (Lin Hung-Yu), the Monkeys’ veteran catcher, drove in the go-ahead run in the third inning with a bases-clearing double, and centre fielder 陳晨威 (Chen Chen-Wei) went 3-for-6 with a triple, a double, 4 RBI, and 3 runs scored.

The Monkeys starter Marcelo Martinez was dialled in for the night, tossing 6 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts, and was later named the Game 2 MVP.

There’s some off-the-field news: the Rakuten Monkeys’ team owner, Hiroshi Mikitani, attended Game 2 of the Playoff Series, and when asked by CNA, he denied rumours that Rakuten was planning to sell their CPBL team.

2024 Playoff Series Game 3

In Game 3, the Uni-Lions came out swinging, building an 8-0 lead by the sixth inning. Monkeys’ starter Matthew Kent lasted just 1.2 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. The emergency reliever 黃子鵬 (Huang Tzu-Peng) also struggled, surrendering 3 runs on 6 hits over 2 innings.

Things were looking much better on the Uni-Lions’ side, as their starter, Mario Sanchez, was dominant through the first six innings, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh. However, he was unable to keep that momentum going in the seventh and was charged with 5 runs after 6.1 innings of work.

The Monkeys mounted a late rally in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, but Uni-Lions reliever 陳韻文 (Chen Yun-Wen) came in and struck out the final two batters to secure the 8-5 win and the series victory for the Uni-Lions.

2024 Taiwan Series Schedule

The best-of-seven Taiwan Series will begin on October 19. The format will follow a 2-2-3 structure, with the CTBC Brothers hosting Games 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, while the Uni-Lions will host Games 3 and 4.

  • G1 (OCT 19): Uni-Lions vs Brothers @ Taipei Dome
  • G2 (OCT 20): Uni-Lions vs Brothers @ Taipei Dome
  • G3 (OCT 22): Brothers vs Uni-Lions @ Taipei Dome
  • G4 (OCT 23): Brothers vs Uni-Lions @ Tainan
  • G5 (OCT 25): Uni-Lions vs Brothers @ Taichung
  • G6 (OCT 26): Uni-Lions vs Brothers @ Taichung
  • G7 (OCT 27): Uni-Lions vs Brothers @ Taichung

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2 COMMENTS

    • I don’t think it’s going to happen. That English broadcast in 2020 was an one-time thing, it is just not financially feasible to do it.

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