Chen Wei-Yin fired a complete-game four-hitter on Sunday as the Wei Chuan Dragons defeated the Rakuten Monkeys 4–1, locking up second place and a Taiwan Series date before the CPBL regular season ended.
The 42-year-old left-hander needed only 98 pitches, inducing weak contact on a breezy night at Taipei Dome. Chen struck out six, walked one, and stranded the tying run at third in the eighth when a line drive died in the shallow outfield.
Standings impact
The win guaranteed the Dragons will face the Uni-President Lions in a best-of-seven Taiwan Series starting Friday. Rakuten finishes third and heads to the wild-card round against the CTBC Brothers, who clinched the top seed a week earlier.
Chen’s season arc
Returning from elbow soreness in May, Chen retooled his cutter and leaned on a slower curve that fooled Monkeys hitters looking for velocity. Dragons manager Hsu Wen-Huang said he will skip Chen in the season finale to keep him fresh for Game 1, handing the ball to rookie right-hander Huang Wei-En instead.
Crowd noise hit 16,200, the Dragons’ third sellout this month. Merchandise stands sold out of Chen replica jerseys by the seventh inning, prompting the club to air-ship more stock from Taichung warehouses.
Series preview
The Lions beat the Dragons eight of fourteen times in the regular season, but three of those losses came when Chen started. Lions ace Wang Po-Jung is slated for Game 1 on normal rest. Bookmakers in Taipei shifted odds slightly toward the Lions, citing bullpen depth, but Dragons fans pointed to Chen’s October track record from his MLB playoff appearances years ago.
Bullpen behind Chen
Closer Huang Tzu-Yang recorded a four-out save in Saturday’s game, leaving him available for multiple late-inning roles in the series. The Dragons’ bullpen ERA ranked third in the league after the All-Star break, though manager Hsu warned that back-to-back travel days could tax middle relievers if the Lions stretch counts early.
Ticket packages for the Taiwan Series sold out online within two hours, prompting the club to open standing-room sections in the outfield concourse for Games 3 and 4 if the series returns to Taipei.
Fan travel
High-speed rail added late trains from Taipei to Tainan for Game 1 after the Dragons announced that first pitch would land on a Friday work night. Hotels near Tainan Arena reported price spikes, prompting the tourism bureau to warn homestays against canceling confirmed bookings to re-list at higher rates.
Monkeys fans, eliminated from the top-two race but still alive in the wild card, packed the visitor sections anyway, chanting for Chen during warmups in a nod to his earlier years with the franchise.