CPBL opens in style, defending champions Rakuten Monkeys walk it off in the ninth
A sold-out crowd of 40,000 at Taipei Dome celebrated the opening of the 2026 season as the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) unveiled its 37th edition by presenting the traditional matchup from last year’s Taiwan Series - the Rakuten Monkeys and the CTBC Brothers.
The Monkeys sent their ace from Dominican Republic Pedro Fernandez (15-2, 2.01 ERA in 2025) - who is starting his fourth season with the Dragons - to face the CTBC Brothers, while the Brothers had Venezuela's Nivaldo Rodriguez (11-7, 1.84 ERA in 2025) on the mound. Fernandez was the MVP of the Year and the MVP of the Taiwan Series while Rodriguez led the league in ERA in 2025.
Fernandez shut down the Brothers for five innings before he was lifted by Monkeys manager Hao-Jiu Tseng. Rodriguez also held the Monkeys scoreless in the first four frames but gave up one run on Chia-Hsiang Sung’s single and was subsequently relieved after six innings of work.
In the top of the seventh, the Brothers scored one run on three hits to tie the game before a bases-loaded walk was issued to give the Brothers a 2-1 lead.
The Brothers' lead didn’t last too long as the Monkeys' Chen-Wei Chen launched a solo home run to the right to help his side tie the game in the bottom of the eighth.
The Monkeys started the ninth with Tzu-Wei Lin’s leadoff single before the bases were loaded on an error, a fielder’s choice, and an intentional walk. The defending champions of the Taiwan Series 2025 then walked it off after Cheng-Hua Lin took a pitch at his right foot, sending the winning run home as the sold-out crowd witnessed the first-ever game-ending hit-by-pitch in CPBL’s opening game history.
Steady and Strong Growth in Attendance
The total attendance of the CPBL in 2025 exceeded 3 million for the first time in the league’s 36-year history, as the average number of participants also reached 10,000 for the first time. The league has also seen steady growth in attendance since 2021, a year after the pandemic broke out. The league has enjoyed strong growth since 2021, and it was the first time in CPBL history to have double-digit growth for five consecutive seasons.
In 2024, CPBL reached its all-time attendance record (2,766,386) and average attendance record (7,684) with the inauguration of the 40,000-seat Taipei Dome. The 2025 attendance was boosted by Chinese Taipei’s championship win at the WBSC Premier12 2024, marking the first time Chinese Taipei had won a title at elite international tournaments (the Olympics, World Baseball Classic, and the Premier12).
The sold-out opening game between the Monkeys and the Brothers was the eighth regular season sold-out with 40,000 fans in Taipei Dome history. Taipei Dome has hosted 11 sold-out CPBL games, including the Taiwan Series.
WBC Staff Honored at Pre-Game Ceremony
The coaching staff, scouting team, and support staff of the Chinese Taipei team that participated in the 2026 World Baseball Classic were honoured during the pre-game ceremony. Chinese Taipei finished the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C with a 2-2 record, including a win over Korea in the World Baseball Classic for the first time.