Shenzhen Bluesox defeat Shanghai Dragons to clinch first-ever CPB Title

The Shenzhen Bluesox came from behind to defeat the Shanghai Dragons, 2-1, in the best-of-three championship series of the inaugural Chinese Professional Baseball campaign.

In the third and final game, Wu Qirui’s two-out single drove in the go-ahead run and lifted Shenzhen Bluesox to break the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh. Bluesox’s closer Enrique Burgos threw a clean one-two-three ninth to help his team to win the first-ever championship title of the inaugural CPB Spring League.

After learning he was named MVP of the CPB Spring League, Wu expressed his gratitude to his teammates. “It’s a great recognition for me (to be named MVP), and it inspires me to continue to give my all both on and off the field in the future.”

Wu composed a .444 OBP during the championship series and led the series with three stolen bases. Wu’s 15 RBI during the month-long season also led the league, while his 20 hits ranked second among all hitters.

Bluesox manager Ray Chang also attributed the exciting championship series to his respected opponent, the Shanghai Dragons. The Dragons won the first game of the series, 3-1, and took a 7-1 loss to the Bluesox before the series came to the decisive Game Three.

Derrick Cherry (0-1, 1.92) started for the Bluesox in Game Three, facing Liu Jianye (2-0, 1.88) of the Dragons. In the fourth inning, Bluesox Wu Qirui led off with a single and later scored the first run of the night on Dante Leach’s single. Wang Yang then hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two more runs for the Bluesox to enjoy a 3-0 lead.

In the sixth, it was the Dragons’ turn to respond to the three-run deficit. Yang Shengao’s one-out walk started the Dragons’ offence as they scored three runs on three hits and one error to tie the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wang Yang led off with a walk before he stole second and advanced to the third on a ground-out by Lu Yi. Wu Qirui, who started the three-run fourth again, stepped up to the plate and delivered with an RBI single, scoring the go-ahead and eventually the winning run as the Bluesox took the final game of the spring season, 4-3.

Review of Inaugural Season

Chinese Professional Baseball was inaugurated with five founding clubs: Shenzhen Bluesox, Shanghai Dragons, Fuzhou Sea Knights, Xiamen Dolphins, and Changsha Want Want Happy. While Changsha was unable to prepare for the season, the other four teams started the Spring League on 1 January 2026, with Shenzhen Bluesox winning the historical inaugural game of the CPB, defeating the Fuzhou Sea Knights, 8-1.

The Shenzhen club, managed by former Chinese national team shortstop Ray Chang, got off to a fast start. With a 10-5 record this season, the Bluesox are the only team with a winning record above .650. Shanghai Dragons, led by international baseball star Koo Dae-Sung, came second with a record of 9-6. Fuzhou Sea Knights finished the season 6-9, and Xiamen Dolphins were 5-10 in the inaugural season of CPB.

According to the league, 125 players were registered for the Spring League, with 47% from the mainland, 33% from Taiwan and Hong Kong while 20% were international. The youngest player was born in 2007, and the oldest was the 41-year-old Lin Yi-Chuan from Taiwan.

The Spring League were broadcast live on a number of different platforms including Youku, Weibo, Douyin, and Zhibo8 with viewership (as of 31 January) of more than 10m. A total of 14 cameras and a VR system were used during the championship series.

The league also invested in sports science while a dedicated statistics team provided advanced statistics and analysis to the clubs. Dragons captain Lee Ning said: "The CPB league places great emphasis on data analysis, which, combined with a high-level coaching staff, significantly helps improve individual skills."

“The CPB tournament successfully boosted public attention and discussion about baseball [in China],” according to the statement issued by the league. “Usera exposed the CPB topic over 300 million times on Weibo.”

The CPB tournaments will be held in the spring and summer between 2026 and 2027, before the complete home-and-away system is fully implemented starting in 2028.