2021 Taiwan Series
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The 2021 Chinese Professional Baseball League season was the 32nd season of the
Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
, with an official slogan of "United for Baseball". The re-activated
Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a Taiwanese professional baseball team. They are a member of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The team originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the fran ...
rejoined the major league 21 years after disbandment in 1999, marking the first time a CPBL season included more than four teams since the 2008 season. As CPBL Commissioner Wu Chih-yang termed out following the conclusion of the 2020 season, the general managers elected Vice President of the Legislative Yuan
Tsai Chi-Chang Tsai Chi-chang (; born 16 April 1969) is a Taiwanese politician and member of the Legislative Yuan. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2012 and served as deputy speaker from 2016 to 2024 ...
as the new Commissioner. The season started on March 13, with the opening game played, per tradition, by the prior season's championship series pair: the 2020 champion
Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
defeated
CTBC Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...
at
Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium The Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium () is a baseball stadium in South District, Tainan, South District, Tainan, Taiwan. Situated in the South District, Tainan, South District, it is currently used mostly for professional baseball games, and ...
, 10–4. The season ended in late November, followed by a Taiwan Series rematch. The Brothers defeated the Lions in a four-game sweep to capture the 2021 championship.


Game play

Seeing the 0.560~0.570
coefficient of restitution In physics, the coefficient of restitution (COR, also denoted by ''e''), can be thought of as a measure of the elasticity of a collision between two bodies. It is a dimensionless parameter defined as the ratio of the relative velocity of sepa ...
(COR) of the 2020 game balls created too much of an offense-leaning game, the General Managers decided on September 24, 2020, to reduce the COR of 2021 game balls to 0.550 and raise the stitch height from 5mm to 7mm. The league hoped that this would restore the balance between pitchers and hitters, and align with balls used by neighboring KBO and NPB leagues. As
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
still widespread around the world, the
CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
and the League decided to retain restriction first implemented in the second half of 2020 season: the maximum attendance of the game was reduced to 78% of each stadium's seating capacity, but food and drink was allowed. League-organized pre-season games started on February 26, 2021, and ended on March 10. The regular season opening game played on March 13 at
Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium The Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium () is a baseball stadium in South District, Tainan, South District, Tainan, Taiwan. Situated in the South District, Tainan, South District, it is currently used mostly for professional baseball games, and ...
, with last season's champions
Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
hosting their 2020 Taiwan Series opponent the
CTBC Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...
. Game #2 followed the next day with the Lions hosting the
Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a Taiwanese professional baseball team. They are a member of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The team originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the fran ...
at Tainan, this was the first major league game played by the Dragons since their disbandment in 1999. Game #21 played on March 26 with the
Rakuten Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly known as La New Bears (2004–2010) and Lamigo Monkeys (2011–2019), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Japanese technol ...
hosting Uni-President Lions at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium was suspended at the top of the 4th inning after one out due to poor visibility caused by dense fog. This was the first CPBL game to be suspended due to fog, and the second if included called games. The first-half season schedule was published on February 10, with second-half pending the release of 2020 Summer Olympic Baseball Final Qualifier schedule. Following the finalization of the Final Olympic Baseball Qualifier schedule, which would be held between June 16 and 20 at
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium () is a stadium in Beitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. The stadium officially opened on November 9, 2006, replacing the antiquated Taichung Baseball Field. Located on the corner of Chongde Road (å´‡å¾·è· ...
, the league decided on April 19 to postpone games previously scheduled on and after June 8 to later dates. Due to a recent spike in domestically transmitted coronavirus cases, the league announced on May 19 that it would suspend the season as long as level-3 health alert was in effect across Taiwan. The league considered but decided against resuming games on June 29 without fans in attendance, despite no opposition by the
Central Epidemic Command Center The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC; ) is an agency of the (NHCC). It has been activated by the Government of the Republic of China, government of Taiwan for several disease outbreaks, such as the 2009 swine flu pandemic and the COVID-19 pan ...
to the CPBL's plan. The CBPL stated on July 12 that play could resume the next day, as teams had agreed to a number of preventative measures. These measures included the prohibition of fans and cheerleaders in the stadium, and a requirement for the staffs of all teams to live and remain in hotels, whether at home on the road, unless a game was being played. As the COVID-19 pandemic became less severe, the league allowed a thousand fans to attend games on August 7 and 8. Starting on August 10, fans were permitted to attend games starting August 10, as stadiums were to be filled up to 25 percent capacity. Attendees were required to check in via a QR code, wear masks at all times, and submit to disinfection and body temperature checks at stadium entrances. Though cheerleaders were also permitted to return to the games, bans on musical instruments and food consumption remained in place at the time.


Milestones

*Before the first game of the regular season for the
Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a Taiwanese professional baseball team. They are a member of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The team originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the fran ...
, the team invited 326 people to attempt 163
ceremonial first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
es. A new record for simultaneous ceremonial first pitches was set at 156 pitches, as ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' adjudicators required attempts to be thrown at the same time and caught cleanly. * Tim Melville (
Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
) pitched a
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
against
Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a Taiwanese professional baseball team. They are a member of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The team originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations were held to revive the fran ...
on April 2, and set a league record of 142 pitches thrown in a no-hitter. This was the 10th regular season no-hitter in the league history, the 11th if included post season, fourth in the team history, and the first in Melville's professional career. * Brock Dykxhoorn (Uni-President Lions) pitched a one-hit minimum batters faced game against
Fubon Guardians The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City. ...
on April 14. The only base-runner reached on a single in the third inning, but was erased on the next batter's ensuing double play, meaning Dykxhoorn faced only 27 batters.


Standings


First half standings


Second half standings


Final season standings

*Green denotes first-half or second-half champion. *Bold denotes clinching playoff qualification as the wild card.


Statistical leaders


Hitting


Pitching


Taiwan Series

Because the first half and second-half championships were won by different teams, the 2021 Taiwan Series, a best of seven series, was played. The first-half champions, the
CTBC Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...
, faced the second-half champions, the
Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
, with the first game scheduled on November 27 and the seventh game on December 5. Games after the first four will only be played if necessary. The Brothers, by having a better yearly record, earned home field advantage, hosting games 1, 2, 6, and 7 at their home field,
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium () is a stadium in Beitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. The stadium officially opened on November 9, 2006, replacing the antiquated Taichung Baseball Field. Located on the corner of Chongde Road (å´‡å¾·è· ...
. The Lions hosted games 3 at Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium, 4 and 5 at their home field,
Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium The Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium () is a baseball stadium in South District, Tainan, South District, Tainan, Taiwan. Situated in the South District, Tainan, South District, it is currently used mostly for professional baseball games, and ...
. The series will be a rematch of the 2020 Taiwan Series which Lions won four games to three en route to their 10th Taiwan Series victory and first since 2013. This year, the Brothers swept the Lions in four games. For the second time, CPBL sold presenting sponsorship to the series.
Chunghwa Telecom Chunghwa Telecom (), officially Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., is the largest integrated Telecommunications company, telecommunications service provider in Taiwan, providing Public switched telephone network, PSTN, mobile phone, and broadband se ...
, which is the largest telecommunications company in Taiwan will be presenting sponsor of the Taiwan Series. This series is officially known as the 2021 Taiwan Series Presented by Chunghwa Telecom.


Rules

All regular season rules apply with the following exceptions: * Each team is allowed to register 28 players on its active roster. * Games will be played until there is a winner, unlike other Asian leagues with a 12-inning limit. * Two outfield umpires are added to the games.


Summary


Game summaries


Game 1


Game 2


Game 3


Game 4


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2021 Chinese Professional Baseball League Season Chinese Professional Baseball League seasons 2021 in Taiwanese sport Chinese Professional Baseball League season Chinese Professional Baseball League season