CPBL: the first scuffle of the year causes benches to clear

The Chinese Professional Baseball League didn’t waste much time getting the first donnybrook out the way. Fubon and Rakuten decided to scuffle early.

If a base-brawl takes place and no spectators are in the seats to witness it, are the players still subject to fines and suspensions? I use the term base-brawl loosely, as the scuffle which ensued wasn’t much to write home about.

The benches did clear though, in the melee which took place between the Fubon Guardians and the Rakuten Monkeys. As you can see in the video, this was one of the more elaborate plunkings-in-the-making.

Guardians pitcher Henry Sosa throws three inside pitches to Monkeys hitter Kuo Yen-Wen, each one a little further inside than the last. Sosa made ten starts with the Houston Astros in 2011, then spent a year in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor leagues before embarking on a foreign career which has seen him pitch six seasons overseas.

After the first two inside pitches, Yen-Wen is anticipating the third one and pulls away just as it’s thrown. At this point, the announcers comment on Sosa having trouble finding the strike zone while the Guardians catcher jaws with the Monkeys dugout before exchanging words with Yen-Wen.

If there was any doubt prior to this Yen-Wen would be wearing a pitch, it dissipated by the time the catcher crouched back down. Sure enough Yen-Wen turns away as Sosa delivers and the ball ricochets off something in his back pocket.

Yen-Wen doesn’t instigate the benches to clear, but the Monkeys come flying out headed towards the mound. There was some pushing and shoving, but not much, and cooler heads prevailed.

The announcers commented that the CPBL is a “conservative league” where they don’t even argue balls and strikes very much. That’s what happens when you invite an American pitcher in who has been raised in leagues where unwritten rules are protected with 145 kilometer per hour pitches.

Just as fast as they were on the field, they were off the field. Didn’t appear there were any ejections or warnings issued and play resumed.

Kudos to the CPBL for upping the ante to give MLB fans some home cooking.