The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks swept the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to win the 2026 Japan Series, securing their second consecutive championship and eighth since 2014. Two years after losing to DeNA in the championship round, the Pacific League pennant-winners got their revenge in four closely contested games.
SoftBank took Game 1 by a 3-1 score in 11 innings, with Yudai Shoji delivering the late go-ahead double. In Game 2, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo put the BayStars up in the eighth with a clutch three-run shot, but Hotaka Yamakawa’s pinch-hit homer tied the game in the ninth before Yuto Kawamura’s solo shot in the 10th secured a 4-3 victory.
The late drama continued in Fukuoka, where Taisei Makihara tied Game 3 with two outs in the ninth on a bang-bang play at the plate before Tomoya Masaki hit a walk-off homer in the 10th for a 2-1 win. It marked the first time the opening three games of a Japan Series had all gone to extra innings.
The Hawks completed the sweep with a 4-2 comeback win Wednesday, led by Yuudai Yamamoto’s three RBI and Yuki Yanagita’s go-ahead single. Masaki earned Japan Series MVP honors after going 7 for 16 with two home runs.
With three straight PL pennants and back-to-back Japan Series titles, the Hawks have kickstarted yet another dynasty.
