This year’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) season officially ended earlier this week with the award ceremony in Taipei.
Lin Chih-sheng came away as the top winner on the day by claiming the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor to go along with his top-ranked shortstop distinction and the Taiwan Series MVP selection.
The veteran Lamigo Monkey slugger who became the first 30-30 man in league history (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season) this season beat out EDA Rhinos home-run threat Luo Kuo-hui (league-best 39 homers) by a whopping 138-68 margin in total points for his first league MVP honor.
“It’s a tremendous honor to win [MVP], given the number of great players around the league. I would like to thank each and every one of my teammates and coaches for making it possible,” Lin said upon receiving the MVP trophy.
Lin was not the lone winner with multiple winnings, as Mike Loree of the Rhinos also pocketed five trophies, highlighted by the Triple Crown in pitching for his league-leading earned run average — ERA (3.26), most victories (16) and most strikeouts (144).
The former Lamigo standout, who returned to Taiwan at the start of this season after spending last season with the KT Wiz of South Korea’s KBO, also set a new standard for pitching excellence with one of the best outings by a hurler in recent years.
“Baseball is a team sport and I could not have done it without the support of the entire team,” Loree said after the ceremony.
Rounding out the rest of the individual awards were Brothers Baseball Club bullpen stars Guan Da-yuan and Chen Hung-wen, whose respective 19 holds and 24 saves landed them the Setup Man of the Year and the Closer of the Year honors.
The Rookie of the Year honor was given to Hsu Chi-hung of the Brothers Baseball Club for a terrific season at the plate with a .319 average with 13 homers and 56 RBIs.
The Most Improved Player of the Year went to the Monkeys’ Lin Po-yo, who took over the closer’s role for Manager of the Year winner Hung Yi-chung with a 13-save season after a campaign last year that netted the third-year righty an even 4-4 mark in 12 starts and seven relief appearances.
The Most Stolen Base honor went to Lamigo speedster Lin Chih-ping for the second straight year with 32 stolen bases to his credit, two more than fellow teammate Lin Chih-sheng’s 30.
Former big leaguer Hu Chin-lung also proved his worth by taking home the Top Hitter and Most Hits honors with a .383 average and 171 total hits.
The top-ranked players by position were EDA pitcher Loree, catcher Cheng Da-hung, and first baseman Lin Yi-chuan, Uni-President Lions second baseman Lin Chih-hsiang, Monkeys third baseman Lin Chih-ping and shortstop Lin Chih-sheng, Brothers Baseball Club outfielder Chang Cheng-wei, EDA outfielders Luo Kuo-hui and Chang Chien-ming and Monkeys designated hitter Lin Hung-yu.
The Gold Glove winners by position for this year were EDA pitcher Loree, Brothers Baseball Club catcher Chen Chia-chui, EDA first baseman Lin Yi-chuan, Lions second baseman Lin Chih-hsiang, Brothers Baseball Club shortstop Wang Sheng-wei, Lion outfielder Luo Kuo-lung, and Monkeys outfielders Chan Chih-yao and Yu Teh-lung.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who