There was no shortage of excitement in NPB this week as offense has started to pick up since the All-Star break. Also, 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel signed with the Lotte Marines, and former top prospect Jeter Downs signed with the SoftBank Hawks. The players are expected to join their respective teams by mid-August. Let’s dig into the games!
Tuesday
In Tohoku, Livan Moinelo (Hawks) got the better of Takahisa Hayakawa (Eagles) in a battle of top southpaws. The Cuban flirted with a perfect game into the 7th while SoftBank pounded Hayakawa for six runs. Hotaka Yamakawa (Hawks) homered twice. Meanwhile, Hiroto Takahashi (Dragons) fired seven scoreless frames against the Swallows to extend his scoreless inning streak to 33. His season ERA now sits at a microscopic 0.48.
Wednesday
Former Pittsburgh Pirate Gregory Polanco (Marines) put on a show with the first three-homer game in NPB this season. When Polanco is hot, he’s one of the most dangerous sluggers in Japan, and this marked his third hat trick since the start of 2023. He now has 16 jacks on the year, drawing him closer to his third consecutive 20+ HR season.
Thursday
The Monster of the Reiwa Era, Roki Sasaki, made his much-anticipated return after missing nearly two months with arm discomfort. He threw five innings of one-run ball, topping at 99 mph. Meanwhile, at Es Con Field, Yuya Gunji (Fighters) hit a walk-off bomb against the Orix Buffaloes to put an exclamation point on an exciting afternoon that featured seven combined home runs between the sides.
Friday
Kensuke Kondoh (Hawks) hit two homers to lead the Hawks past the Fighters. The Lotte Marines defeated Orix Buffaloes ace Hiroya Miyagi, handing the three-time defending PL champions their tenth straight loss. Last year’s CL ROY and MVP, Shoki Murakami (Tigers), went 7.1 innings strong, giving the DeNA BayStars their ninth straight loss.
Saturday
Home runs by Chusei Mannami and Kotaro Kiyomiya sparked an 8-7 comeback victory for the Nippon-Ham Fighters after they fell behind 6-1 early to the SoftBank Hawks. Tyler Austin, who recently returned from getting hit in the face during the All-Star series, homered twice to push the BayStars past the Tigers. Munetaka Murakami (Swallows) became the first NPB hitter to hit 20 home runs this season.
Sunday
After a great pitching duel by Tomohisa Ohzeki and Hiromi Itoh, the SoftBank Hawks walked it off against Nippon-Ham Fighters closer Seigi Tanaka. Atsuki Taneichi (Marines) tossed seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Orix Buffaloes. The Carp swept the Chunichi Dragons to complete a perfect 6-0 week in Hiroshima.
This Week’s Team Records
Hiroshima Carp (6-0)
Hanshin Tigers (5-1)
Lotte Marines (5-1)
SoftBank Hawks (4-2)
Nippon-Ham Fighters (3-2-1)
Chunichi Dragons (3-3)
Rakuten Eagles (3-3)
Yomiuri Giants (2-4)
Orix Buffaloes (1-4-1)
DeNA BayStars (1-5)
Yakult Swallows (1-5)
Seibu Lions (1-5)
- NPB Standings
- Central League Hitting Leaders
- Central League Pitching Leaders
- Pacific League Hitting Leaders
- Pacific League Pitching Leaders
- Yuri’s NPB Pitcher Rankings
