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Monkeys Manager: Dragons Stronger Than 2023 Champions

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Rakuten Monkeys manager Tseng Hao-chu believes the current Wei Chuan Dragons are stronger than their 2023 championship team.
  • Tseng cited the Dragons' improved pitching depth, including starters, foreign pitchers, and bullpen, as key to their current dominance.
  • The Dragons boast a league-leading team ERA of 2.18 and are on track to clinch the pennant soon, with their strong foreign pitching staff making scoring difficult.

Rakuten Monkeys manager Tseng Hao-chu stated that the current Wei Chuan Dragons are more formidable than the team that won the championship in 2023. Having managed against them in the finals that year, Tseng now observes a significant overall improvement in the Dragons.

The current Wei Chuan Dragons are stronger than in 2023.

— Tseng Hao-chuManager of the Rakuten Monkeys, commenting on the Wei Chuan Dragons' current strength.

The Dragons currently hold a commanding 8-2 record against the Monkeys this season, including a recent six-game winning streak in their matchups. Tseng attributes this success to the Dragons' robust pitching capabilities, highlighting the strength across their starting rotation, foreign imports, and bullpen. He noted that the players have matured considerably over the past few years, reaching their peak performance, complemented by strategic additions to the roster.

Wei Chuan's pitching staff is very good, with starters, foreign pitchers, and the bullpen all at a high level.

— Tseng Hao-chuExplaining the reasons for the Wei Chuan Dragons' improved performance.

Wei Chuan's pitching staff leads the league with a 2.18 ERA, significantly better than the league average of 3.24. Their opponents' batting average stands at .232, with a WHIP of 1.14, underscoring their dominant pitching. Led by foreign pitchers such as Drew Gagnon, Jake Dahlberg, Michael Mariot, and Tyler Cloyd, along with Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Chung Wang, the Dragons have soared to the top of the standings. They held a .660 winning percentage in the first half of the season and are poised to secure the pennant soon.

The players have grown a lot these past few years and are now in their prime. With some additions, they are a very strong team.

— Tseng Hao-chuDescribing the development and current state of the Wei Chuan Dragons' roster.

Tseng also commented on the impact of former Monkeys pitcher."The departure of "Magic" (Jake Dahlberg) had a significant effect. Last year, he pitched over 120 innings and was a huge asset. His absence was deeply felt, and he has continued to show his dominance since transferring. Wei Chuan's overall stability in both pitching and hitting makes them a very tough opponent," Tseng said. Dahlberg, now with the Dragons, has a 2-1 record with a 0.62 ERA in seven starts this season.

It's difficult to score a lot of runs against their foreign pitchers.

— Tseng Hao-chuAssessing the challenge posed by the Wei Chuan Dragons' foreign pitching staff.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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