CPBL: A Rarely Seen Midseason Standstill, but Yeh Says, “The Current Format Is Good”

The CPBL’s second-half race has reached a rare level of tightness. Before the Dragons-Elephants game, the top three teams had no games separating them, a situation Wei Chuan Dragons manager Yeh Chun-chang described as “very unusual.”

Wei Chuan, which won the first half of the season, entered the game second in the second-half standings. It was level with the leaders Rakuten Monkeys and third-place CTBC Brothers. Even last-place Fubon Guardians remained within three games of the top.

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Very unusual.

Yeh attributed the unusually open race to the league’s current postseason system. The CPBL revised the format in 2022, retaining champions for both halves of the season while establishing a postseason challenge series and expanding the playoffs to three teams.

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I think the current format is good. It gives everyone three chances.

“I think the current format is good. It gives everyone three chances,” Yeh said. Full-season results count, as do the first- and second-half standings. Teams can also pursue a half-season title, while a team that wins both halves can still compete for the annual ranking that determines the two playoff places.

Yeh said the Brothers’ strong second half also reflected the normal swings of a baseball season. When observers questioned why the team had been last in the first half, he said he had considered that perfectly normal. “There are ups and downs over a year. Even the Dodgers have lost seven straight. So nothing is impossible,” he said.

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There are ups and downs over a year. Even the Dodgers have lost seven straight. So nothing is impossible.