Pedro Fernandez, ace pitcher with the Rakuten Monkeys, on Wednesday won the CPBL regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, becoming the first international player to do so.
Fernandez, who is from the Dominican Republic, earned 208 points out of a possible 230 in MVP voting for the regular season.
He also claimed the Taiwan Series MVP award at the ceremony at Kaohsiung Marriott Hotel.
Photo: CNA
In the league’s 36-year history, it was the first time that an international player had taken the two awards in one year and the fourth time that any player had done so.
“I want to thank each of my coaches and teammates. They are part of this special honor,” the right-hander said in a recorded speech.
“This achievement is not mine alone, but the fruition of our entire team,” Fernandez said, adding that he would never forget the moment.
Photo: CNA
Fernandez, who joined the Monkeys in 2023, had his second full CPBL season this year, leading the league with 168 strikeouts and 15 wins over 170 innings in 26 starts, while ranking fourth with a 2.01 ERA.
Fubon Guardians reliever Li Wu Yung-qin was named Most Improved Player, while TSG Hawks closer Lin Shi-xiang won the rookie and saves awards.
Li Wu tossed 42-1/3 innings in 56 appearances this season for the Guardians, posting an ERA of 2.76.
Photo: CNA
He thanked his wife for supporting him through “a decade of ups and downs,” during which he mostly played in the minors.
Lin, 24, played in 60 games out of the bullpen, throwing 60-1/3 innings and recording a league-high 30 saves with a 1.79 ERA.
CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang at the ceremony announced plans to introduce a ball-strike challenge system in 2027.
Photo: CNA
The league would trial TrackMan — a Doppler radar technology system that tracks the movement and characteristics of a baseball — next season, with the aim of officially implementing the automatic ball-strike challenge system in 2027.
Other initiatives include recruiting Japanese umpires to improve the quality of the games and launching a new CPBL app, he said.
Photo: CNA
Photo: CNA
COMPLAINTS ABOUND: Long delays, unsuitable accommodation and transport issues have overshadowed the lead-up to the Games, which are to open today The Asian Games in Japan on Friday faced more accusations of poor organization with a world champion gymnast “totally exhausted,” the public drafted in to rescue stranded athletes and South Korea lodging a complaint about a Japanese warlord. The continent’s premier sporting spectacle opens in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture today, but the build-up has been soured by several issues. That includes a shortage of rooms for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials — a bigger number than the Olympics. Some teams have also criticized the quality of the accommodation, including beds that are too short. To save money there is no athletes’ village,
UNDER INVESTIGATION: Taiwan has replaced the damaged banner and more cameras have been installed to protect athletes and staff, the sports ministry said The Ministry of Sports yesterday called for mutual respect after a banner at a training facility used by Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games was defaced to cover up the Chinese characters for “national” and the English word “Taiwan” in Nagoya, Japan. The banner, displayed at Misono Elementary School in Nagoya, was defaced with ink, the Chunichi Shimbun reported on Wednesday. The orange banner, measuring about 5m long by 1.5m wide, hung near the entrance to the former elementary school. In white lettering it read “National Sports Training Center” (國家運動訓練中心) in Mandarin with the English name “Taiwan Sports Training Center.” The Taiwan delegation
Iran yesterday withstood a late fightback to beat China 79-70 and win Asian Games men’s basketball bronze, an achievement that left their players “speechless” after months of war back home. China led 31-29 at half-time in Nagoya, but Iran took charge in the third quarter to lead 55-46 going into the fourth and held on to spark wild celebrations and an emotional place on the podium. “To be honest with you I’m just speechless,” said 202cm power forward Arsalan Kazemi, who in 2013 was the first Iranian to be drafted in the NBA by the Washington Wizards, but never made
HOMERS, HITS: Lin Tzu-wei and Yu Chang have had three-hit games in the MLB, but Lee topped them both and also went past Chang in home runs in a season Detroit Tigers infielder Lee Hao-yu on Friday set Taiwanese MLB records for home runs in a season and hits in a game as he helped his team rally past the Chicago White Sox 11-8. The 23-year-old went four-for-five with three RBIs and two runs scored, tying the game at 8-8 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The blast was his 10th homer of the season, while his four hits set a single-game MLB record for a Taiwanese. “When I actually saw it go out, I just blacked out,” Lee said in a post-game interview, recalling his reaction as the tying home
RSS