Today’s TBNL …. the Cardinals announce changes in leadership; the Marlins have a new all-time strikeout leader; and we take a look at the first half of the CPBL season.
Mathematically speaking, we’ve reached the midpoint of the 2026 season. Teams across the league are playing their 81st game of the season sometime this week. Roughly 1,215 games have already been played across MLB, with the same number remaining on the schedule.
Cardinals announce a new chairman
30 years after first purchasing the franchise, Bill DeWitt Jr. is stepping aside from his place as the St. Louis Cardinals’ chairman and CEO. The club’s ownership and executive leadership group held a press conference on Wednesday to announce the change, revealing that Bill DeWitt III would be stepping up to replace his father.
St. Louis has won 12 division titles, four NL pennants, and two World Series championships since the DeWitt family bought the team from the Anheuser-Busch Company for $150 million.
DeWitt III was named team president in 2008 and, per The Athletic’s Katie Woo, was “a driving force behind the completion of Busch Stadium” and the surrounding development.
Anuk Karunaratne was promoted to fill DeWitt III’s position as president of business operations. He joined the club in 2024 as the VP of business operations after serving in the same capacity with the Blue Jays for several seasons. His primary responsibilities were focused on “improving the fan experience” and boosting attendance.
Sandy Alcantara is the Marlins’ all-time strikeout king
Few seemed to notice — outside of the reported 9,971 fans in attendance once it was flashed on the loanDepot Park scoreboard — but Sandy Alcantara became the Miami Marlins’ all-time leader in strikeouts on Tuesday. Alcantara struck out four in 6.2 IP against the Rangers in a 6-4 Marlins victory.
Alcantara now has 1,002 strikeouts with the Marlins, pushing him past Ricky Nolasco (1,001) for the club record.
“Very proud of myself, the way that I’ve been growing here, in this organization, and grateful for all the opportunities that this team gives to me, day by day. Tonight was a great night for me, for my family, my teammates, the city, everybody who watched the game. Very happy about the win. We lost yesterday, but today I came here with the mentality that I’ve got to do my best to win the game.”
The record-breaking strikeout came in the seventh inning, with Alcantara starting the frame having already thrown 94 pitches. Jarred Kelenic grounded out to first to start the inning, before Alcantara struck out Kyle Higashioka. Nicky Lopez worked a walk before Alcantara was pulled from the game, receiving a standing ovation as he walked off the field.
Alcantara originally signed with the Cardinals as an international amateur free agent in July 2013. Four years later, in Dec. 2017, the Marlins traded outfielder Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals for a four-player package that included Alcantara and right-hander Zac Gallen. Over his nine seasons in the majors (he missed all of 2024 to Tommy John surgery), Alcantara has posted a 3.68 ERA (116 ERA+), 357 BB, and 1012 SO (20.7 K%) in 1185.1 IP since making his MLB debut (an 8.1 IP stint with St. Louis before the trade). He’s a two-time All-Star and, of course, won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022 (14-9, 2.28 ERA, 228.2 IP, 207 SO, 8.0 bWAR; the only player in Marlins history to win the CYA).
As De Nicola pointed out, Alcantara also became just the fifth active Dominican-born pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts earlier this month.
Alcantara will likely be a popular name in trade speculation over the coming weeks. It is far from a guarantee that he will be moved, however, despite the Marlins’ history of trading away players when they become too expensive. The 30-year-old is far and away the most expensive player on the roster, earning $17.3 million this season. The team holds a $21 million option on him for 2027 before he will reach free agency.
Recapping the first half of the CPBL season
Sitting with a 38-20 (.655) record on the season, entering play on Wednesday, the Wei Chuan Dragons are leading the way in Taiwan’s CPBL. Finishing the season’s first half with the best record will ensure the Dragons reach the postseason, something the club hasn’t done since 2023.
Much of the Dragons’ lead has been fueled by their starting pitching — notably from offseason additions John Gant (1.42 ERA in 56.1 IP), Marcelo Martinez (0.89 ERA in 50.1 IP), and Cristopher Mercedes (1.73 ERA in 73.0 IP).
Several of the foreign-born players to sign with CPBL teams have already been released: RHP Nick Nelson (Brothers), OF Luis Liberato (Guardians), and RHP Morgan McSweeney (Monkeys).
Fubon Guardians (31-25, .554) closer Jyun-Yue Tseng has continued to show he is one of the top relievers in the league. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 1.99 ERA, 14 SV, 4 BB, and 31 SO in 22.2 IP so far this season. He’s already collected 80 saves in his young career. He’s expected to draw interest from teams in Japan’s NPB this offseason.
The league is testing an ABS (automated balls and strikes) system, similar to the one implemented in the KBO this year. If successful, the plan is to implement it beginning next season.
Last year’s Taiwan Series featured a matchup between the CTBC Brothers and Rakuten Monkeys. This year, however, the Monkeys (21-32, .396) and Brothers (19-34, .358) have the two worst records in the first half. Both clubs will be looking for big second-half turnarounds. If not, this will be the first time since 2011 that both Taiwan Series finalists have failed to reach the postseason the following year.
For the Brothers, in particular, 2026 has been a troublesome season. Manager Chih-Wei Liu abruptly resigned in early June, taking responsibility for the team’s record. Just two weeks later, the team released right-hander Chi-Ling Hsu after discovering that he “had concealed a drunk driving accident that occurred last year”. The team reportedly learned of the incident only when a court judgment became public. The league is expected to “impose the maximum penalty” on Hsu, a 40-game suspension and NT$440,000 (roughly $13,874 USD) fine, per reporting from Focus Taiwan’s Yen-Hsiang Chao.