2023 2nd Half Season Champions: Wei Chuan Dragons
The Wei Chuan Dragons have won their 2023 CPBL second-half season title and punched their ticket to the Taiwan Series, perhaps in the least dramatic fashion, with no fans cheering in the stands and no streamers being thrown onto the field.
On the night of October 19, the Dragons players and coaches gathered at Tianmu Stadium to have a BBQ party on their off day and watch the other two games in the league.
The first game ended with the Fubon Guardians defeating the Uni-Lions 5-0, which means the Dragons will finish the 2023 CPBL season with the best overall record.
The second game of the night finished with the CTBC Brothers beating Rakuten Monkeys in a 4-3 win, making the Dragons the second-half season title winner.
With the Dragons winning the half-season title and having the best full-season overall record, the Dragons have secured a guaranteed spot in the 2023 Taiwan Series.
This will be the Dragons’ fifth half-season title in their franchise history. The last time they won a half-season title was 26 years ago, back in 1997.
“I want to thank everyone in the Dragons organisation for believing in ourselves and have worked hard together on this journey,” said the Dragons GM Ding Chung-Wei.
“It is truly amazing to see our players have displayed their resilience towards the end of the season,” said the Dragons manager Yeh Chun-Chang.
“After 26 years, I finally get to share this moment with all the young Dragons players,” said the Dragons’ current hitting coach Chang Tai-Shan, who played for the Dragons from 1996-99.
2019- #WeiChuanDragons announces return to the #CPBL
2020- wins #CPBL Future Series Championship
2021- officially returns to #CPBL First Army
2022- advances to the postseason for the first time since return
2023- advances to the #TaiwanSeries for the first time since return https://t.co/iU6FbQiJTC pic.twitter.com/q16Ll8vOlZ
— Daniel Shih (@daniel_shih88) October 20, 2023
2023 CPBL Postseason Structure
With the Wei Chuan Dragons securing a spot in the 2023 Taiwan Series, the first round of the playoff will feature the Uni-Lions (1st-half season winner) taking on either the Rakuten Monkeys or CTBC Brothers, which is yet to be determined.
The Monkeys (57W-55L-4D) still have four games left in the season, and the Brothers (57W-55L-5D) have three games. Both teams will play each other on October 21 and 22.
Three teams making the playoffs in a six team league is pretty reasonable, although I don’t think it would be a terrible idea if four teams could make the playoffs when the Hawks start major league play. Fans love playoff baseball, and the teams would love the extra play-off revenue. The two half-season winners could get some kind of advantage in the first round, like a one game advantage; and if one team wins both halves, then they get an automatic pass into the Taiwan Series, and the second and third best teams play for the second spot in the Taiwan Series.
When I was younger, I used to hate the idea of expanded playoffs in MLB, but now that I am older, I say give the fans what they want, which is more chances for their team to make the playoffs.
4 teams in the playoff but in some kind of “tier format” like the KBO would be cool. But as a fan, the thing I want the most is MLB style of pitch clock in the CPBL.