2023 Taiwan Series G4: Dragons 4 – Monkeys 1

On November 8, the Wei Chuan Dragons defeated the Rakuten Monkeys 4-1 in Game 4 of the Taiwan Series, thanks to a stellar pitching performance by veteran Bryan Woodall. The best-of-7 series is now tied at 2-2.

Bryan Woodall Silenced the Monkeys

Entering his 9th season in the CPBL, Bryan Woodall, the Wei Chuan Dragons’ 37-year-old veteran right-hander, may no longer have the fastball velocity, but he relied on his experience to keep the Monkeys’ lineup in check. Bryan Woodall pitched a full seven innings, allowing only one earned run on four hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

“He [Bryan Woodall] is a smart pitcher and pitched an excellent game tonight. In the past, I’ve always said that if the team need to have something done, just give it to Woodall, and he will deliver,” said the Dragons manager Yeh Chun-Chang to Liberty Sports.

“The biggest thing is just trying to be ready every day, and I want to do everything I can to help us win. My job is to go out there and set the tone early to put the team in a good spot,” said Bryan Woodall in the post-game interview.

Taiwan Series Game 4 Recap

In the second inning, the Dragons found themselves in a favourable position when Lin Xiao-Cheng advanced from first to third base on a throwing error by the catcher during a stolen base attempt. Lin Xiao-Cheng then scored the Dragons’ first run when Chang Cheng-Yu’s comebacker ricocheted off the Monkeys’ starter Chen Ke-Yi’s foot, resulting in an infield error by the second baseman.

The Monkeys had a great opportunity to put something on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when they loaded the bases with no outs, but their 7-8-9 hitters couldn’t capitalise.

The score was tied in the bottom of the fifth when the Monkeys planted runners on first and third with two consecutive singles and scored their first run of the game on a fielder’s choice, making it 1-1.

In the top of the sixth, the Dragons began the inning with a leadoff double by Lin Xiao-Cheng, followed by a bunt attempt that allowed both runners to reach first and third safely. With a swing of the bat, Jiang Shao-Hong delivered a go-ahead RBI single, making it 2-1. The Dragons scored another run that inning, increasing the lead to 3-1 on a fielder’s choice.

“After seeing three pitches that missed the strike zone, I was banking on a fastball, and I knew it would be a base hit the moment I made contact,” said Jiang Shao-Hong, who hit the go-ahead single in the sixth inning.

The Dragons added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth to make it 4-1 with three consecutive singles.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Dragons’ closer, Chen Kuan-Wei, slammed the door with a scoreless inning, including two strikeouts, securing the win for the Dragons.

Post-Game Quotes From Managers

“I can see our young players are slowly improving and adapting to playing in the Taiwan Series,” said the Dragons manager Yeh Chun-Chang. “In my opinion, the more games we play, the more favourable it is for our team.”

“It was unfortunate that our lineup did not capitalise on the bases loaded with no out situation,” said the Monkeys manager, Tseng Hao-Chu. “The series is only 2-2, we still have the chance to win the Taiwan Series.”

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Like Mario Sanchez in 2022, Pedro Fernandez pitched well enough at AAA that he arguably deserved an MLB major league promotion before signing with the Monkeys. The Monkeys will obviously try hard to re-sign Fernandez, and Sanchez may be the biggest prize of the CPBL free agent market this offseason.

    • They will definitely bring back Pedro Fernandez for 2024 after his insane postseason performance. As for Mario Sanchez, I can see other teams also gunning for him since he left before the trade deadline, he is essentially free for all.

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