Game 4 of the CPBL’s Taiwan Series between the Rakuten Monkeys and the CTBC Brothers yesterday was postponed to today, after incessant rain over the past few days flooded the field at Taoyuan Baseball Stadium.
The Brothers on Tuesday kept their hopes of a repeat championship alive with a 2-0 win over the Rakuten Monkeys in Game 3.
The reigning champions seized the shutout victory before a crowd of 37,088 at Taipei Dome, snapping the Monkeys’ five-game post-season winning streak this year. They still trail 1-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Photo: CNA
Brothers starting pitcher Jesus Vargas was named Most Valuable Player after tossing 6-2/3 scoreless innings on just 68 pitches.
Vargas, 27, joined the Brothers in the second half of the season and did not face the Monkeys during the regular season. He started two of his three appearances and finished with a 3.72 ERA over 19-1/3 innings.
The Brothers’ starter did a good job locating his pitches on the edges of the strike zone, Monkeys manager Kenji Furukubo said, adding that he regretted that all the team’s scoring opportunities were thwarted by the Brothers’ solid defense.
Photo: CNA
A DAZN commentator attributed much of Vargas’ success to the Monkeys’ unfamiliarity with his pitching. Although the Monkeys made contact often, their swings proved fruitless, as they failed to time their swings effectively.
Vargas found himself in trouble only once, in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Monkeys put runners on the corners with one out.
He escaped the jam thanks to first baseman Hsu Chi-hung, who caught a sharp line drive by Chen Chen-wei and tagged first base with his glove before the runner could return, completing a double play.
The Rakuten Monkeys on Sunday downed the CTBC Brothers 2-1, handing the hosts their second consecutive loss in the best-of-seven CPBL Taiwan Series at the Taipei Dome. Monkeys’ ace starter Pedro Fernandez of the Dominican Republic dominated on the mound, cruising through six scoreless innings before giving up a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He gave up only three hits and walked two batters in a 93-pitch outing, giving his Taoyuan-based team an edge. Offensively, the Monkeys’ leadoff batter Lin Li hit Brothers starter Brandon Leibrandt’s pitch over the center-field wall in the game’s first at-bat,
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