Liu Chi-hung Homers as Wei Chuan Dragons Clinch Taiwan Series Berth
Liu Chi-hung homered in his CPBL return as the Wei Chuan Dragons beat Rakuten 5-3, secured the best overall record and clinched a Taiwan Series berth.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
The Wei Chuan Dragons clinched the CPBL’s best overall record and a place in the 2026 Taiwan Series on Wednesday, September 30, beating the Rakuten Monkeys 5-3 in Taoyuan behind a home run and three-hit return from Liu Chi-hung.
Liu, playing his first CPBL game after returning from the Asian Games, immediately changed the shape of the pennant race. The Dragons improved to 65-51 and secured the league’s top full-season record, giving them a direct route into Taiwan’s championship series.
Liu Chi-hung makes immediate impact
Batting cleanup, Liu opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, his eighth of the season. Wei Chuan added another run in the third before Rakuten rallied in the fifth, when Chen Chen-wei’s aggressive baserunning helped the Monkeys turn a wild pitch into the go-ahead run for a 3-2 lead.
The Dragons answered in the sixth. Chang Yu-ming delivered the key hit to put Wei Chuan back in front, and the visitors added an insurance run in the ninth after a Rakuten error allowed Wang Shun-ho to reach third before Chang drove him in.
Liu finished 3-for-4 with the home run, one RBI and two runs scored. His performance gave Wei Chuan an immediate lift after his international duty and supplied the defining image of a win that settled the club’s postseason route.
Dragons secure direct Taiwan Series berth
Bryan Woodall worked 6 2/3 innings for Wei Chuan, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. The veteran right-hander earned his first victory in 104 days after going winless in his previous nine starts.
Closer Lin Kai-wei protected the two-run lead in the ninth for his 30th save of the season.
The result did more than confirm Wei Chuan as the best team across the full schedule. It also put the Dragons directly into the Taiwan Series while increasing the pressure on Rakuten in the second-half title and playoff race.
For Liu and Wei Chuan, the timing could hardly have been better: a returning international delivered at once, and the Dragons turned that performance into the season’s biggest prize so far—a guaranteed chance to play for the CPBL championship.
