This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched the Pacific League pennant, completing the franchise’s first regular season three-peat since the Nankai Hawks won three straight titles from 1964 to 1966.
However, there is still plenty at stake with less than two weeks remaining. Under NPB’s new postseason rules, a team that finishes at least 10 games ahead of second place receives two ghost wins in the Climax Series Final Stage instead of the usual one. SoftBank currently leads the Saitama Seibu Lions by 9.5 games.
Meanwhile, the Yomiuri Giants have drawn level with the Hanshin Tigers in the Central League pennant race, although Hanshin has three games in hand. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters have also clinched playoff berths in their respective leagues, officially cementing the six-team postseason field.
I’ve also launched a new paid Substack for data-driven reports on NPB players. Please check it out if you’re interested in more in-depth analysis. With that being said, let’s dive into the week’s big performances.
Tuesday (9/15)
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) hit his 29th and 30th homers of the season in a 7-6 win over the Fighters.
- Chusei Mannami (Fighters) homered in his first game back.
- Kaima Taira (Lions) struck out 10 batters over eight innings of relief as a follower but took a 1-0 loss against the Eagles.
- The BayStars hit four home runs off Shosei Togo (Giants) in a 13-2 thumping.
Wednesday (9/16)
- Kosei Shoji (Eagles) threw his first career complete game shutout in a 4-0 win against the Marines.
- The Hawks scored four runs in the 10th inning to top the Buffaloes, 4-0, lowering their magic number to 2.
Thursday (9/17)
- The Hawks clinched the Pacific League pennant with a 7-1 road win against the Buffaloes.
- Tatsuki Koja (Eagles) hurled 8.2 innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory over the Marines.
- Shota Morishita (Tigers) smashed his 34th homer in a 7-2 win against the Carp, helping snap a seven-game losing streak.
Friday (9/18)
- Yuta Izuguchi (Giants) hit a two-run walk-off home run against the Dragons.
- Hayato Sakamoto (Giants) recorded his 2,472nd career hit, moving him past Giants legend Shigeo Nagashima for ninth place on NPB’s all-time list.
- Hiromi Katayama (BayStars) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 3-1 loss to the Swallows.
Saturday (9/19)
- Shugo Maki (BayStars) delivered a late go-ahead grand slam in a 5-3 win over the Swallows.
- Alexander Canario (Lions) homered twice in a 4-2 victory against the Marines.
- The Eagles handed Yugo Maeda (Hawks) his first loss of the season, dropping him to 12-1.
- The Giants blew out the Dragons, 14-1.
Sunday (9/20)
- Seiya Hosokawa (Dragons) homered twice in an 8-5 win over the Carp.
- Shota Morishita (Tigers) belted his 35th homer in an 8-1 win against the Carp.
- Raidel Martinez (Giants) registered his 40th save of the year in a 3-2 win over the Swallows.
- Kotaro Kiyomiya (Fighters) hit his 20th and 21st homers of the year in a 9-6 loss to the Buffaloes.
