TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A sellout crowd of 40,000 fans packed the Taipei Dome on Sunday for the opening game of the 37th season of Taiwan’s Professional Baseball League, as the CTBC Brothers faced the Rakuten Monkeys, per CNA.

Before the game, league commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) led a ceremony honoring Taiwan’s national team participants in the World Baseball Classic. Bouquets were presented to players, coaches, and staff, and Tsai thanked fans who traveled to Japan wearing national team jerseys, drawing international attention to Taiwan.

Among those recognized were Monkeys manager Tseng Hao-chu (曾豪駒), who served as a national team coach, along with players Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇), Lin Tzu-wei (林子偉), and Chen Chen-wei (陳晨威). Brothers players honored included Chiang Kun-yu (江坤宇), Sung Cheng-jui (宋晟睿), and Cheng Hao-chun (鄭浩均).

The matchup was a rematch of last year’s Taiwan Series, in which the Monkeys defeated the Brothers to claim the title. The game lived up to expectations, with the Monkeys holding a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning before the Brothers scored two runs to go ahead, per CNA.

In the bottom of the eighth, Chen Chen-wei (陳晨威) hit a solo home run to tie the game. The decisive moment came in the bottom of the ninth, when Lin Cheng-hua (林政華) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing home the winning run in a 3-2 Monkeys victory.

After the game, Tseng thanked fans for their support, noting that both teams showed early-season nerves at the plate. He said his decision to use a pinch-hitter in the ninth was based on matchups, praising the player’s plate discipline and ability to get on base.

Chen, who hit his first home run of the season, joked that he was “currently the home run king,” adding that it might be his first time holding that distinction, as his season best is only 10 home runs. He said he was unsure whether the ball would clear the fence and ran the bases cautiously.

Tseng also credited his players for their perseverance, saying the team capitalized on key details late in the game to secure the Opening Day win.