Hawks & Giants Clinch Pennants

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the Pacific League pennant for the first time since 2020

The MLB regular season has come to an end, but NPB still has a week remaining! The SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants have clinched their respective pennants, while the Nippon-Ham Fighters and Hanshin Tigers have secured playoff berths. The Seibu Lions, Orix Buffaloes, Chunichi Dragons, and Yakult Swallows have already been eliminated. That leaves the Rakuten Eagles, Lotte Marines, Hiroshima Carp, and DeNA BayStars to fight for their lives. Let’s get into the details.

SoftBank Hawks Clinch PL Pennant

The SoftBank Hawks clinched the Pacific League on Monday, winning the pennant for the first time since 2020 and for the 20th time in franchise history. The victory fittingly came on the road against the three-time defending champion Orix Buffaloes, who had previously dethroned them. From 2014 to 2020, SoftBank won six of seven Japan Series titles, establishing itself as one of the most dominant dynasties in modern NPB history. The past three seasons had been disappointing, but franchise legend and former Samurai Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo successfully led the team to a comfortable first-place finish in his first year at the helm.

The Hawks are a complete team. Hotaka Yamakawa leads the league in home runs. Ukyo Shuto leads the league in steals. Kohei Arihara is second in the league in wins. And Kensuke Kondoh, who is out for the remainder of the regular season with an ankle injury, is the presumptive PL MVP. With the biggest budget in NPB, SoftBank always has high expectations, but the team flexed its strength across all facets of the game and a plethora of depth beyond just the main superstars.

The Hawks are now guaranteed a spot in the PL Climax Series Finals, where they will start with an automatic 1-0 advantage. The entire best-of-seven series will take place in Fukuoka. SoftBank will be the heavy favorite against any of their potential opponents (Fighters, Marines, or Eagles) and are just three wins away from another Japan Series appearance.

Yomiuri Giants Clinch CL Pennant

Later in the week, the Yomiuri Giants finished the job, clinching the Central League with an 8-1 win against the Hiroshima Carp, the team they had competed with for much of the year. While the Carp slumped into a free-fall in September, the Giants got stronger, capturing their first pennant since 2020 and their 39th in the franchise’s rich history. Veteran Tomoyuki Sugano and slugger Kazuma Okamoto had big performances in the clinching game. Sugano threw eight innings of one-run ball, and Okamoto drove in three runs with three doubles. One of them will likely take home the CL MVP award.

Like SoftBank, Yomiuri secured first place under a rookie manager. Shinnosuke Abe was the CL MVP in 2012, the last time the Giants won the Japan Series. Now, he’ll attempt to lead the Kyojin to their elusive 23rd championship. The Giants have booked a spot in the CL Climax Series Finals, where they will host the entire series against the winner of the opening playoff matchup. Their rival Hanshin Tigers have already clinched the two-seed as they look to repeat as Japan Series champions. Their opponent will be the DeNA BayStars or the Hiroshima Carp.

What to Watch For in Final Week of Regular Season

The remaining contests are makeups for rainouts earlier in the season. But with the pennants already being determined, is there anything left to play for? Yes! While the second-place Fighters and Tigers have already booked their tickets for October baseball, the respective third and fourth-place sides still have plenty to play for.

In the PL, the Marines hold a three-game lead over the Eagles, but the latter have three games in hand. The two head-to-head matchups next week could seal their fates. In the CL, the Carp’s disastrous 5-20 record in September has enabled the BayStars to surpass them with a 1.5-game cushion. The BayStars also have three games in hand with one head-to-head matchup remaining.

Be sure to keep an eye on the battles between Hotaka Yamakawa (Hawks) and Munetaka Murakami (Swallows) for the NPB home run lead and Hiroya Miyagi (Buffaloes) and Livan Moinelo (Hawks) for the Pacific League ERA title.

This Week’s Team Records

Yakult Swallows (5-0)
Yomiuri Giants (4-2)
Chunichi Dragons (2-1)
SoftBank Hawks (3-2)
Orix Buffaloes (3-2)
Seibu Lions (3-3)
Lotte Marines (2-2)
Rakuten Eagles (2-3)
Nippon-Ham Fighters (2-3)
DeNA BayStars (1-3)
Hanshin Tigers (1-3)
Hiroshima Carp (1-5)

Yuri Karasawa