2023 Taiwan Series G5: Monkeys 11 – Dragons 0

On November 10, the Rakuten Monkeys demolished the Wei Chuan Dragons with an onslaught of 15 hits, including three home runs, and won Game 5 of the Taiwan Series with an 11-0 victory. The Monkeys now lead the best-of-7 series 3-2, putting them on the brink of clinching the 2023 Taiwan Series championship.

Despite their fierce reputation, the Monkeys had struggled to hit any home runs in the first four games of the series. However, they lived up to expectations in Game 5, showcasing the power-hitting ability that CPBL fans have come to expect.

Facing the Dragons’ Jake Brigham, the Monkeys took an early lead in the second inning with Chu Yu-Hsien’s solo home run. The offensive onslaught continued as they added five more runs, securing a comfortable 6-0 lead with Liang Chia-Jung’s 2-RBI single in the third and three runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by four hits and a squeeze bunt.

Jake Brigham, pitching with only four days of rest, struggled with his command and was knocked out early, lasting only 3.2 innings and allowing six earned runs on seven hits.

In the fifth inning, the Monkeys’ Liao Chien-Fu extended the lead to 7-0 with a solo home run. They added another three runs in the seventh, including Chu Yu-Hsien’s towering 2-run shot out of the stadium and a wild pitch by the Dragons’ reliever.

The Monkeys continued to rub salt into the wound in the eighth inning with Liang Chia-Jung’s RBI single, bringing the score to 11-0.

Pedro Fernández, the Monkeys’ starter, delivered a stellar performance, pitching eight scoreless innings with an impressive 13 strikeouts, tying the single-game strikeouts record in Taiwan Series history.

Post-Game Quotes From Managers

“After several games, I can see our players have gradually found their rhythm. With our hitters performing well, it provides a great sense of stability for our pitchers,” commented Monkeys’ manager Tseng Hao-Chu. “It is all hands on deck for Game 6, and we hope to end the series tomorrow.”

“We had too many swings and misses in the game tonight, but our opponent was very patient with their hitting approach. This is the difference in experience, and these experiences need to be accumulated by our players,” stated Dragons’ manager Yeh Chun-Chang after the game. “I am not pessimistic. The overall mindset is to secure four wins.”

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