BASEBALL / Monkeys defeat Brothers in 2025 CPBL Taiwan Series opener

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) The Rakuten Monkeys shut out the CTBC Brothers 3-0 at Taipei Dome on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) 2025 Taiwan Series.

With a sellout crowd of 40,000 in attendance, the Monkeys picked up their fourth win of the CPBL postseason.

Marcelo Martinez, who ranked second in the league during the regular season with 13 wins, struck out two, scattered three hits and walked one over seven scoreless innings for the Monkeys, earning game MVP honors.

The Monkeys scored their first two runs in the top of the first and third innings in similar fashion, with Lin Chih-ping (林智平) drawing a walk as the team's second baserunner and scoring on an RBI single by Liang Chia-jung (梁家榮).

Rodriguez, who led the league this season with a 1.84 ERA in 25 starts, surrendered his third run later in the third on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. He exited after five innings, allowing eight hits and three walks.

With the win, the Monkeys improved their record at Taipei Dome this year to 7-3, while the Brothers fell to 21-12 at the venue.

Game 2 is scheduled to begin at 5:05 p.m. Sunday at Taipei Dome, with Brandon Leibrandt starting for the Brothers, and Pedro Fernandez for the Monkeys.