
(2) Nipponham Fighters vs. (1) SoftBank Hawks
G1: Nipponham 1-2 SoftBank
G2: Nipponham 0-3 SoftBank
G3: Nipponham 6-0 SoftBank
G4: Nipponham 9-3 SoftBank
G5: Nipponham 7-1 SoftBank
G6: Nipponham 1-2 SoftBank
SoftBank wins series, 4-3
In the clincher, the Hawks held on for a 2-1 victory to avoid what would have been regarded a historic choke as no team has blown a 3-0 lead in PL playoff history. NPB ERA king Livan Moinelo delivered a gem, striking out six over seven innings of three-hit, one-run ball on short rest. He was named the Series MVP for his two starts totaling 14 innings and just one run allowed.
Hikaru Kawase provided the go-ahead hit in the fifth inning, lining a two-out single that put the Hawks ahead for good. Kazuki Sugiyama shut the door in the ninth for his second save of the series.
Earlier in the series, SoftBank got clutch moments from Hotaka Yamakawa, who had a walk-off single in Game 1, and Yuki Yanagita, who smashed a go-ahead three-run homer in Game 2. Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s team lived up to their name, fighting back with blowout wins in Games 3, 4, and 5, carried by big performances from Hiromi Itoh, Franmil Reyes, and Kotaro Kiyomiya, to nearly pull off a historic comeback.
(2) DeNA BayStars @ (1) Hanshin Tigers
G1: DeNA 0-2 Hanshin
G2: DeNA 3-5 Hanshin
G3: DeNA 0-4 Hanshin
Hanshin wins series, 4-0
In the clincher, home run king Teruaki Sato set the tone early with a three-run shot in the first inning, and Yusuke Oyama followed with an RBI double in the third to make it 4-0. Southpaw Haruto Takahashi flirted with a no-hitter, taking it into the eighth before finishing with 7 ⅔ innings of three-hit, shutout ball with seven strikeouts. Hanshin outscored DeNA 11-3 across the series, showcasing its overwhelming talent on both sides of the ball.



