We have a winner at the 108th High School Summer Koshien!
Chiben Wakayama captured its fourth Summer Koshien championship with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Kendai Takasaki (Gunma) in Saturday’s final, marking the Wakayama Prefecture school’s first title since 2021. After blowing the lead in the top of the 8th inning, Chiben Wakayama responded with two runs in the bottom half to retake the lead, then held on to secure the championship.
The victory capped off an impressive tournament run that saw Chiben Wakayama defeat Yashiro (Hyogo), Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui), Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi), and Yokohama (Kanagawa) on its way to the championship game. The game against Yokohama High School was particularly memorable as they knocked out star pitcher Shoki Oda in the early innings en route to a convincing 7-1 win. Congratulations to Chiben Wakayama!
This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, Hanshin Tigers star duo Shota Morishita and Teruaki Sato stayed hot, each hitting their 30th home run of the season on the same night, 43-year-old Takeya Nakamura launched a go-ahead grand slam for the 482nd homer of his illustrious career, and clutch walk-off moments were plentiful across the league. Let’s jump in.
Tuesday (8/18)
- Teruaki Sato and Yusuke Ohyama (Tigers) hit back-to-back home runs to walk off the Swallows.
- Livan Moinelo (Hawks) fired 6 innings of 1-run ball in a 7-1 victory over the Fighters.
- Ryosuke Tatsumi (Eagles) smashed his 10th homer in a 6-2 win against the Marines.
- Asahi Miyashita (BayStars) walked off the Giants.
Wednesday (8/19)
- Kotaro Kiyomiya (Fighters) walked off the Hawks in extras.
- Yusuke Ohyama (Tigers) walked off the Swallows for the second straight night.
- Sosuke Genda (Lions) walked off the Buffaloes.
- Katsuki Azuma (BayStars) tossed 7 scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Giants.
Thursday (8/20)
- Ryoya Kurihara (Hawks) hit a game-tying grand slam for his NPB-leading 33rd home run in a 5-5 tie with the Fighters.
- Anderson Espinoza (Buffaloes) pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball in a 3-1 win against the Lions.
- The Carp walked off and swept the Dragons on a passed ball.
Friday (8/21)
- Shota Morishita and Teruaki Sato (Tigers) each hit their 30th home runs of the campaign in a 4-1 win against the BayStars.
- Hiroto Takahashi (Dragons) hurled 7 shutout innings in a 3-0 win over the Swallows.
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) walked off the Fighters in extras.
- Takeya Nakamura (Lions) hit a pinch-hit grand slam in extras for the 482nd home run of his career.
Saturday (8/22)
- Chihiro Sumida (Lions) fired 8 shutout frames in a 2-0 win over the Eagles.
- Go Matsumoto (Giants) went 2 for 2 with a two-run shot in a 5-0 victory versus the Carp.
- Ryoya Kurihara and Kensuke Kondoh (Hawks) hit their 34th and 25th homers, respectively, in a 7-1 win over the Buffaloes.
Sunday (8/23)
- Shota Morishita (Tigers) hit his 31st homer in a 5-3 win over the BayStars.
- Ryuhei Sotani (Buffaloes) delivered 7 scoreless innings in a 3-0 win against the Hawks.
- Miguel Sano (Dragons) parked his 18th long ball to help sweep the Swallows.
- Rikuto Yokoyama (Marines) registered his 30th save in a 3-2 win against the Fighters.
