2025 Taiwan Series G5: Monkeys 9 – Brothers 7

The Rakuten Monkeys recorded a new chapter on October 27 in Taichung, defeating the CTBC Brothers 9-7 in an intense Game 5 slugfest to capture their “first” Taiwan Series championship in franchise history.

It was a game of heart, resilience, and power, one that fittingly ended with the Monkeys veteran catcher Lin Hung-Yu blasting a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 11th inning.

Okay, if we want to be technical about it, this is actually the Monkeys’ 8th Taiwan Series Championship in their franchise history. That said, the previous 7 championships were won under a different ownership.

  • La New Bears (2006)
  • Lamigo Monkeys (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Rakuten Monkeys (2025)

Notes: The La New Bears and Lamigo Monkeys were under the same ownership. The Liu family sold their baseball team to Rakuten after the 2019 CPBL season.

Game 5 Recap

Both teams traded blows from the very start. The Monkeys struck first in the opening frame when Lin Hung-Yu delivered an RBI single. But the Brothers, retooling their lineup for this must-win game, roared right back. Chen Chun-Hsiu, making his first start of the series, drove in 2 runs, and Chan Tzu-Hsien added a sacrifice fly as the Brothers plated 3 runs in the first inning to make it 3-1.

The Monkeys refused to back down. In the top of the second inning, Liang Chia-Jung singled, and after a walk and a failed bunt attempt, Yu Te-Lung and Lin Li combined to push across 2 runs, tying the game 3-3.

The Brothers regained the lead in the fourth, capitalising on a hit from Huang Wei-Sheng and a fielding error by Monkeys’ third baseman to make it 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, more defensive miscues haunted the Monkeys, a costly error by shortstop immediately after a back-to-back hits from Chan Tzu-Hsien and Tseng Song-En to make it 5-3. The Brothers added more runs with Sung Cheng-Jui’s double, extending their lead to 7-3.

The Brothers starter Brandon Leibrandt lasted only 3 innings, surrendering 3 runs before turning the ball over to Jesús Vargas, who held the Monkeys in check until the seventh inning. With one out, Lin Li, Lin Tzu-Wei and Lin Hung-Yu strung together a series of hits to cut the deficit to 4-7.

Leading off the top of the eighth, Chiang Chia-Jung sparked the Monkeys’ comeback with a solo home run to make it 5-7. Rakuten kept the pressure on, loading the bases with a walk and two consecutive singles. A bases-loaded walk brought in another run, and a grounder to second allowed the tying run to score, evening the game at 7-7.

The score remained 7-7 until the top of the 11th inning. Leadoff hitter Chen Chen-Wei drew a walk and advanced to second on a groundout, setting the stage for the hero of the night, Lin Hung-Yu. The veteran slugger turned on a 94 mph fastball and launched it deep over the left-field wall, a majestic 2-run shot that stunned the Taichung crowd and put the Monkeys ahead 9-7.

In the bottom of the 11th, the Brothers mounted a brief rally as Chen Chun-Hsiu drew a walk. But Hsu Chi-Hung grounded into a double play after a baserunning miscue, and the Monkeys’ closer Chu Cheng-Yang induced a final groundout to first base to seal the victory and secure the 2025 Taiwan Series Championship for the Rakuten Monkeys.

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1 COMMENT

  1. It’s already looking like CPBL teams will have plenty of options on not-too-old foreign pitchers with NPB and KBO experience, some of them with real success. Tucker Davidson and Wes Benjamin just got released. Charlie Barnes and Albert Abreu are both pitching in the Dominican Winter League and almost certainly looking for landing spots in the spring.

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