Brothers clinch second-half title, secure CPBL playoff berth

Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) The CTBC Brothers clinched the Chinese Professional Baseball League's (CPBL) second-half title Sunday with a 12-1 victory over the TSG Hawks, securing a playoff berth after finishing last in the first half.

Before a sellout crowd of 20,000 at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, the Brothers finished the second half with a 36-24 record and celebrated their league-record 21st half-season title under a shower of yellow streamers.

The title completed a turnaround from a first-half record of 20 wins, 37 losses and two ties, which left the Brothers last in the six-team league.

Manager Keiichi Hirano apologized to supporters for the first-half performance and credited their backing for the team's recovery.

"We want to reclaim the No. 1 spot in Taiwan," he said, urging fans to continue supporting the team.

Nivaldo Rodriguez led the Brothers to Sunday's clinching win, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings while striking out five to earn his 12th win of the season.

Wang Wei-chen (王威晨) collected three hits and four RBIs, while Huang Wei-sheng (黃韋盛) also drove in four runs.

The Brothers scored three runs in the first inning, added two in the fifth and pulled away with four in the seventh and three in the eighth.

They will face the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, who qualified by finishing second in the full-season standings, in a playoff series beginning Oct. 9. The winner will meet the Wei Chuan Dragons in the Taiwan Series.

The CPBL divides its regular season into two halves, each with a separate champion.

The Dragons earned direct entry to the championship series by winning the first half and finishing with the league's best full-season winning percentage.

As second-half champions, the Brothers will begin the playoff series with a one-win advantage. The first team to reach three wins advances, meaning CTBC needs two victories while the Lions need three.

According to the schedule announced Monday, the Brothers will host the opener at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium.

The Lions will host Game 2 at Tainan's Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadium on Saturday before the series returns to Taichung on Sunday and, if necessary, next Monday.

The best-of-seven Taiwan Series will begin Oct. 17 at Taipei Dome, where the Dragons will host Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, Games 5 through 7.

Games 3 and 4, scheduled for Oct. 20 and 21, will also be played at Taipei Dome if the Brothers advance, or in Tainan if the Lions qualify.