2025 Taiwan Series G2: Monkeys 2 – Brothers 1

On October 19, the Rakuten Monkeys defeated the CTBC Brothers 2-1 in front of another sold-out crowd of 40,000 at the Taipei Dome, taking Game 2 of the 2025 Taiwan Series. With the win, the Monkeys now lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.

Game 2 Recap

The Monkeys drew the first blood in the top of the first inning when team captain Lin Li took the fifth pitch he saw and sent it deep to left for a leadoff solo home run, giving his team an early 1-0 lead. The Monkeys later put another runner on third, but Brothers starter Brandon Leibrandt regrouped and struck out Liang Chia-Jung to end the inning.

Brandon Leibrandt ran into another bout of turbulence in the third inning after allowing back-to-back singles that put runners on second and third. However, he landed the plane safely thanks to a run-saving diving catch by Yueh Cheng-Hua in centre field. Despite the early drama, Brandon Leibrandt settled in and finished the night with 5 strikeouts, giving up just 1 run on 7 hits over 6 innings.

In the top of the 7th, the Monkeys added an insurance run after a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a bloop single to centre loaded the bases. Lin Tzu-Wei then hit a slow-rolling grounder that resulted in a fielder’s choice, bringing home a run and extending the lead to 2-0.

The Brothers responded in the bottom of the 7th when Hsu Chi-Hung ripped a double off the wall and advanced to third on a grounder. Moments later, he scored the Brothers’ first run of the Taiwan Series on Pedro Fernández’s wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Pedro Fernández, the Monkeys’ starter, was dominant just as he had been throughout the 2025 season. He cruised through 7 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 5.

The Brothers had their best scoring chance in the bottom of the 8th. Facing reliever Chen Kuan-Yu, they loaded the bases with three straight singles and no outs. However, the Monkeys escaped unscathed thanks to a force out at home followed by a crucial inning-ending double play.

In the 9th, the Brothers showed their never-say-die fighting spirit once again. Wang Wei-Chen ripped a leadoff double to the right-centre gap, and reliever Chu Cheng-Yang hit the next batter, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base with no outs. But the Monkeys shut down the rally when Chan Tzu-Hsien grounded into a double play and Chiang Kun-Yu grounded out to short to end the game.

Both teams will take a day off before returning to the Taipei Dome for Game 3 of the Taiwan Series on October 21.

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