Taipei: After enduring a challenging start to the 2025 season, the TSG Hawks finally experienced victory in their home opener, overcoming the Rakuten Monkeys with a thrilling 4-3 walk-off win on Friday. The decisive moment came from Jhang Jhao-yuan, who delivered a two-RBI single, securing the Hawks’ first win following a three-game losing streak.
According to Focus Taiwan, the situation seemed dire for the Hawks as they were just two outs away from extending their losing streak to four games. However, a sequence of three consecutive hits revitalized the team’s chances. It began with Wang Po-jung’s single off the Monkeys’ closer, Chen Bo-hao. This set the stage for Steven Moya, the reigning home run leader in Taiwan’s CPBL, who followed with a double down the right-field line, positioning runners at second and third for Jhang’s pivotal at-bat.
Jhang, facing a 2-2 count, made crucial contact with a 145-kph fastball, driving a grounder past Monkeys shortstop Ma Chieh-sen. The hit allowed both Wang and Moya to
score, clinching the dramatic victory. Jhang, who had not managed a hit in his previous three at-bats, confessed to feeling nervous but drew confidence from the presence of veteran teammates like Wu Nien-ting.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd of 15,487 fans, Jhang’s game-winning performance earned him the MVP title, while providing relief to Hawks manager Hung I-chung. Hung, the only manager in CPBL history to achieve 1,000 wins, avoided his first 0-4 season start since assuming his managerial role in 2004.
The game featured strong pitching performances from both teams. Monkeys starter Jonathan Bermudez allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings, conceding only a solo homer to Moya in the second inning. On the other side, Hawks starter Bradin Hagens, a former Monkeys player, surrendered two earned runs over six innings. Ultimately, both starters recorded no decisions.
The victory was secured by Lin Shi-xiang, who maintained a scoreless ninth inning for the Hawks, while Chen suffered the loss, conceding two e
arned runs in the final inning.