Mario Sanchez fanned six batters across seven one-run innings and the CTBC Brothers erupted for three first-inning runs en route to a 4-1 victory over the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions on Friday at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, seizing a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five challenge series.
How the night unfolded
The Lions started Brock Dykxhoorn but could not survive a four-hit first inning capped by a Chang Kai-wei double, according to game accounts from NOWnews. Sanchez cruised until the seventh, when pinch-hitter Lin Pei-wei singled sharply but left runners stranded as the Lions managed only one earned run on seven hits.
Reliever Lu Yen-ching closed a tense eighth after two walks, and closer Lu recorded the final three outs in the ninth to preserve the lead. The Brothers already held a one-win head start as second-half champions, so the victory puts them one win from the Taiwan Series against the Wei Chuan Dragons.
Series stakes
The Dragons claimed the first-half title and await the challenge winner in a best-of-seven Taiwan Series opening Oct. 17 at Taipei Dome. Uni-President must win three of its remaining chances—Game 2 shifts to Tainan on Saturday—while CTBC needs only one more victory to advance.
Lions manager Lin Yi-hsiung leaned on veteran Chen Yung-chi as a pinch-hit option late, part of a farewell season narrative for longtime stars, but the offense could not solve Sanchez’s mix of sliders and fastballs at the top of the zone.
Pitching and defense
Sanchez’s seven-inning line lowered his postseason workload ahead of a potential quick turnaround if the Brothers sweep. Taichung’s roofless park favored hitters early with humid air, yet the Lions’ rally died when fly balls found outfielders in the spacious alleys.
Brothers manager Hsu Shih-chieh can now line up Game 2 with less bullpen pressure, a luxury in a series where travel flips between Taichung and Tainan within 24 hours.
Fan and broadcast context
Intercontinental tickets sold out infield sections during the Brothers’ late-season surge. National Day weekend crowds mixed holiday travelers with die-hard Lions orange-clad supporters making the central Taiwan trip.
Local broadcasts carried the 5:05 p.m. start on CPBL partner networks, with social clips of the first-inning rally circulating before National Day concert streams dominated evening attention.
What to watch in Game 2
Uni-President must win in Tainan to extend the series; expect an aggressive bullpen map and possible openers to keep the Brothers from clinching on the road. For CTBC, another strong start could end the challenge before the calendar turns to Taipei Dome and the Dragons’ waiting arms.