Mini recap of every series from the opening weekend.
The opening weekend of the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season is in the books! A lot happened across the first 18 games of the year, so let’s not mess around and dive right into the main highlights from each day.
Friday (March 28)
Hiroya Miyagi took a perfect game into the eighth inning.
Superstar ace Hiroya Miyagi (Buffaloes) took a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Eagles. Final line: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. His battery mate Kenya Wakatsuki picked up a walk-off hit.
Shoki Murakami (Tigers) had a Herculean 135-pitch effort in a 4-0 win over the Carp, falling just one out shy of a complete game shutout.
Trey Cabbage (Giants) had a memorable NPB debut with two doubles and a home run, sparking a comeback win against the Swallows. Gakuto Wakabayashi had four hits and delivered the walk-off blow in extras.
Tatsuya Imai (Lions) and Shoma Kanemura (Fighters) had an old-school duel as both pitchers tossed complete games. Late solo shots by Kotaro Kiyomiya and Franmil Reyes were the difference as Kanemura got the shutout victory.
Rui Muneyama (Eagles), Misho Nishikawa (Marines), and Seiya Watanabe (Lions) all collected their first career NPB hits. All three were selected in the NPB Draft last October and are expected to be in the running for the PL ROY.
Saturday (March 29)
The Yomiuri Giants routed their cross-town rivals.
All three Pacific League games went into extra innings, and the road team (Eagles, Fighters, Marines) won each contest.
Trevor Bauer (BayStars) struck out eight across six innings of one-run ball in his first NPB start since 2023. However, he took the loss as his opponent Takahiro Matsuba (Dragons) tossed seven shutout frames.
The Giants kept yesterday’s momentum to thump the Swallows, 12-0. Trey Cabbage hit another bomb, while Takuya Kai homered for the first time in a Yomiuri uniform.
Sunday (March 30)
Yuki “James” Nomura went 3 for 4 with a double, two home runs, and six RBI.
The Marines mounted a late comeback to defeat the Hawks, 7-4, completing a surprising sweep of the defending pennant winners on the road.
Yuki Nomura’s two home runs and six RBI led the Fighters to a sweep over the Lions.
Shohei Mori threw seven shutout innings as the Carp avoided a sweep against the Tigers.
Top prospect Shion Matsuo (BayStars) hit his 1st career home run.
Good Start: Lotte Marines, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants (3-0)
Bad Start: SoftBank Hawks, Seibu Lions, Yakult Swallows (0-3)
