The Chinese Professional baseball (CPBL) has been experiencing unprecedented excitement this season, with fierce battles continuing until the end of both the first and second half of the season.
*Information current as of September 24th.

Total attendance surpasses 3 million, the highest number ever... CPBL's popularity is on the rise

In our previous report published in the middle of the previous season, we reported that attendance had been strong since the start of the season, and there is no sign of slowing down as we approach the end of the season. In fact, attendance has increased in the second half of the season, with the average attendance per game up 35% over last season, which was the largest in the history of the festival, and still holding above the 10,000 mark. On August 29, the total attendance surpassed last season's record high (2,766,386), and on September 6, it surpassed the 3 million mark, with the 3.5 million mark in sight.

The All-Star Game held at the Taipei Dome on July 19 and 20 set a new record with two consecutive full games (40,000 people). In addition, the three consecutive retirement games for legends Ajisen The Dragons and Lin Chi-Sheng, held from September 5 to 7, attracted a total of 106,316 fans. Considering that there was a time when the average number of fans per game was less than 2,000 due to a slump in popularity caused by scandals and poor performance in international tournaments, it is truly a world apart.

The start of operation of Taiwan's first indoor stadium, the Taipei Dome, and the WBSC Premier 12 championship last fall have elevated baseball 's status in Taiwan and brought the CPBL to a new stage. However, it is not just the popularity of the Taipei Dome that is dependent on the Taipei Dome. The average attendance for games held at the Taipei Dome was rather slightly down compared to last year. The fact that other stadiums have all seen significant increases in attendance, including a 47% increase at the Central Taichung Intercontinental Ballpark, home of the CITIC Brothers, topping 10,000 on average, attests to the growing popularity of the sport.

And the improved branding and visibility of the CPBL itself has created a variety of synergistic effects. The cheerleaders, who have become well-known in Japan, have become a major factor in supporting spectator attendance, with a number of popular members joining from Korea, the "home" of the current cheering style.

In addition, collaborations with various genres have been realized on event days, cultivating a new fan base. Taiwan's high popularity of Japanese culture has led to many Japan-related events, and in the past month alone, "Japan Day" featuring legendary NPB players from the past, the manga "HIQUE! a collaboration with VTuber "hololive," and a mini-concert by Kento Nakajima, a.k.a. "Kentee.

Some readers may be surprised by such "entertainment" activities. However, the increase in the team's revenue from successful entertainment should contribute to improvements in hardware and software, player treatment, and the training environment, leading to an increase in the level of Taiwan baseball itself.

The fierce first half of the season was decided in the final game. Unification won its 18th half-season championship, and the Japanese right-hander was pitcher to be lifted up in celebration.

Let's turn back the clock and look back on the first half of the season. Taiwan Pro baseball, which is played in 60 games in the first half , became a big mess in which the winning team was determined in the final game.

On June 12, the unified The Lions, which lit up the championship magic "10", reduced the magic to "4" on the 21st, but from there it lost 3 consecutive games and the magic disappeared. Last year's Taiwanese champion, Keiichi Hirano, who was in second place, led by the CITIC brothers, won consecutive victories from the 19th, and finally on June 26, the two teams were tied without a game difference.

The next day, on the 27th, the CITIC brothers won 5 consecutive victories against the 3rd place Rakuten Monkeys led by coach Keiji Furuhisa, 2-1. When he handed over the guidance to Rakuten, who had little hope of winning, Uni-President also did not give up to Taiwan Steel The Hawks with a 12-5 victory.

The next day, on the 28th, Uni-President started against the Fubon Guardians, and C.C. Mercedes, who played for 7 seasons in NPB until last season, started. He threw 8 innings, the longest since coming to Taiwan, and pitched 1 runs (earned runs 0), and in the 9th inning, Japan right-hander Masaki Takashio closed with 3 people without danger and escaped 3-1. On the other hand, the CITIC brothers lost 4-8 to Taigang, who is in their second year of entering the first team, which has not been compatible with 3 wins and 7 losses so far, and the championship magic "1" was re-lit in unification.

And in the final game on June 29th, the unification to decide the champion of the previous half by a draw or more was the home of the Rakuten Monkeys, the home of the Rakuten Taoyuan City in the north. Taoyuan Stadium, and as a "continuation game" on April 20, which was suspended due to rain, the game was played from the top of the 4th inning with 1 out and 3rd base, full count.

As if responding to the cheers of the fans who crowded the light stands, Unification added one run immediately after the game resumed, and 21-year-old left-hander Hayashi Zhaoen, who started on April 20, "continued to pitch" and made the game 1 runs until the middle of the 7th inning. Takashio, who took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with a score of 2-1, got through the eighth inning without danger with only one infield hit. In the top of the ninth, Uni-President extended the lead to 3 runs with a 4-1 lead due to an enemy error and a timely hit, but the bench entrusted the end of the game to Takashio, not the guardian deity Chen Yunwen, who was in poor form. Takashio, who continued to pitch, easily got two outs, and in the last hitter, he cut Chen Jiale to struck out with a falling ball, and at this moment, Uni-President won the first half of the 2025 season and won the 18th semi-annual championship.

"The key player in the unified team's victory." Masaki Takashio, a former member of the Japanese independent league, showed outstanding performance.

Former NPB pitchers Mercedes and Mendez, along with four other foreign pitcher started 46 of the 60 games for the Uni-Presidents, leading the team to 22 wins out of 36. The batting lineup also led the league with 45 Home Run, including Premier12 representative Lin Anke, who hit 11 Home Run in just 31 games, fourth in the league. The team also displayed their power with 22 triple, a slugging percentage of .403, and 255 RBI, second in the league. defense, which had previously been an issue, was solid, ranking second behind the Chinatrust Brothers in both errors and defense percentage, helping the team win a close battle.

Amidst all this, Takashio was praised as the "Unsung MVP." After playing in Japan's independent leagues, Takashio has been playing in Taiwan's amateur baseball since 2017. In December 2021, the Taiwan Professional baseball relaxed the draft eligibility requirements for international students and foreign players playing in the amateur league, and he will be participating in the draft from 2022. At 35 years old, Takashio is an old rookie who was selected sixth overall by Uni-President last year, in his third draft attempt.

In the first half of the season, he pitched the most games on the team (25), the most innings pitched by a reliever (37.2 innings), with a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, 8 hold, 6 ERA, an ERA of 1.91, and a WHIP of 0.74, supporting a thin bullpen. Manager Lin Yue-ping, Premier12 MVP and captain Chen Chieh-hsien, and former major leaguer Hu Jin-long all praised him as "the driving force behind the team's victory."

In the second half of the season, "Hirano" Chushin is in the lead, aiming for a second victory, but "Kokubo" Rakuten is in hot pursuit. 1st place for the year, and post season battle is fierce

The second half of the season began on July 4th, and as of September 24th, each team has about 10 games left to play, but just like the first half, it looks like it will be a close match right until the very end.

Before we get into the battles so far, let's explain Taiwan's professional baseball postseason system. If the winners of the first and second half of the season are different, the half-season winner with the higher annual winning percentage will advance directly to the Taiwan Series, a best-of-seven best-of-four series to determine the annual champion, and will be given the right to host five games: Games 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. Meanwhile, the half-season winner with the lower annual winning percentage will have a one-win advantage and will compete in a best-of-five best-of-three post season against the team with the highest annual winning percentage out of the four teams that failed to win the championship in either half of the season, with the winner of that post season advancing to the Taiwan Series.

Additionally, if a team wins both the first and second halves of the season, that team will advance to the Taiwan Series with a one-win advantage. The teams with the second and third highest winning percentages will compete in a best-of-five post season to advance to the next series.

Amidst all this, the team currently leading the second half of the season is the Chinatrust Brothers, led by manager Hirano, who had a record of 29 wins and 21 losses, missing out on the championship by two games in the first half. As of the end of July, all six teams, from the top-ranked Chinatrust Brothers to last-placed Uni-President, were within one game of each other, but in August, Chinatrust's pitcher and fielder "mutually complemented each other," leading to a record of 16 wins and 7 losses in one month, and especially in home games, where they showed overwhelming strength with 11 wins in 13 games, greatly increasing their number of wins.

However, the CTBC Brothers have been struggling since September, but Rakuten Monkeys, led by manager Furukubo, are hot on their heels. pitcher are in top form with a 1.00 ERA in September, and their fielder fielders are also in high spirits, leading to a string of wins with 10 wins out of 14 games. On September 12th, they lost the first game of a three-game series against CTBC, giving them a magic number of 13 to win the second half of the season. However, they then won consecutive games, eliminating the magic number and finally closing the gap to just 0.5 games.

Following them, 3.5 games behind, is Uni-President, who won the first half of the season. Uni-President has tended to slump in the second half of the season every year, and at one point it seemed they would lose momentum again this year, but they have improved their form, winning 11 of 14 games from August 24th to September 13th, and are keeping their hopes of winning the second half of the season alive.

In fourth place is Taiko, four games behind. In the final game of the first half, Taiko achieved their long-cherished dream of a 50% win rate in their 12th attempt, and in the second half, they temporarily built up a lead and rose to second place. After losing home run derby leader, Steven Moya, to injury, their performance slumped somewhat, but they are fighting tenaciously to make post season in their second year in the first team.

The 2023 champions, the Weihua The Dragons, are in fifth place, 5.5 games behind the leader, and it looks like a tough comeback with eight games remaining. Fubon, in sixth place, suffered a major slump in August, just like last year. They suffered a league-worst month with 17 losses (5 wins). They are 10.5 games behind the leader, and are likely to finish last, just like in the previous season.

The Chinatrust Brothers are also leading the annual winning percentage, but are only 1.5 games behind second-placed Uni-President. Along with the battle for the championship in the second half of the season, there will be a series of heated battles for the top annual winning percentage and a post season spot for the "third seat."

Written by Hide Komada