October baseball is here! The MLB postseason is already underway, and the NPB playoffs are set to begin later this week on Saturday, October 12. The Climax Series First Stage, NPB’s version of the MLB Wild Card Series, is a best-of-three format hosted entirely by the higher seed in each league. Winners advance to the Climax Series Final Stage, or the League Championship Series, where the regular season pennant winners get full home-field advantage and an automatic 1-0 series lead, with the ultimate goal of reaching the Japan Series. Let’s take a look at the matchups.
Central League: DeNA Baystars @ Hanshin Tigers
The opening stage of the CL playoffs will feature the two-seed Hanshin Tigers hosting the three-seed DeNA BayStars. In the regular season, the Tigers took the head-to-head matchup 13-11. Hanshin will be boosted by the electric atmosphere at Koshien Stadium as they look to go on a deep run to repeat as Japan Series champions. Their manager, Akinobu Okada, has announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season.
The BayStars had some help getting into this position. The Hiroshima Carp — who had 99% playoff odds on September 1 — fell victim to a historically bad collapse, pushing them out of the postseason picture. DeNA skipper Daisuke Miura is in familiar territory as he’s led his squad to playoffs for three straight seasons, but he’s yet to advance past the first round. This year won’t be any easier.
Hanshin’s success has largely been driven by its pitching, boasting one of the top rotations and bullpens in NPB. Sawamura Award contender Hiroto Saiki is expected to start Game 1, with other excellent starters like Haruto Takahashi, Jeremy Beasley, and Shoki Murakami, the reigning CL ROY and MVP, as potential options for the rest of the series. The team also has a super-bullpen at its disposal, with Daichi Ishii, Takuma Kirishiki, Suguru Iwazaki, and flamethrower Javy Guerra as dominant late-inning arms.
While the offense was not great, it improved in the second half to get close to the quality it displayed in 2023. Led by the strong quartet of Koji Chikamoto, Shota Morishita, Teruaki Sato, and Yusuke Ohyama, the Tigers delivered many clutch moments in October last season and can do the same this year.
On the other side, DeNA’s potent offense is their defining trait, making the series a true battle between good pitching and good hitting. With stars like Shugo Maki, Toshiro Miyazaki, and Tyler Austin, the NPB OPS leader, the BayStars have a clear-cut offensive edge. However, their pitching staff is mediocre at best, though ace Katsuki Azuma reliably churns out quality starts, and imports Andre Jackson and Anthony Kay won’t go down without a fight.
While DeNA has the potential to upset, Hanshin is the clear favorite to advance to the Central League Championship Series to face their rival Yomiuri Giants.
Pacific League: Lotte Marines @ Nippon-Ham Fighters
The three-seed Lotte Marines will travel north to Es Con Field Hokkaido to take on the two-seed Nippon-Ham Fighters in the first round of the PL playoffs. During the regular season, Nippon-Ham dominated the head-to-head matchup with an 18-6 record and a +40 run differential. The series marks the Fighters’ first postseason appearance since 2018 (just one year after Shohei Ohtani left the team) and manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s first playoffs after overseeing a multi-year rebuild. Lotte skipper Masato Yoshii has experience from last year’s postseason, as well as being a pitching coach for Samurai Japan at the WBC.
The Fighters have built their success on the emergence of an exciting young core led by Chusei Mannami, Kotaro Kiyomiya, and Shun Mizutani. Moreover, first-year foreigner Franmil Reyes has provided substantial power in the second half, leading the team with 25 homers and taking the pressure off Ariel Martinez, who previously batted cleanup for the team. For the pitching, command specialist Takayuki Katoh and breakout star Koki Kitayama are expected to get the first two games, with red-hot ace Hiromi Itoh being saved for a potential Game 3.
The Marines, meanwhile, have a top-heavy lineup with Gregory Polanco and Neftali Soto as their main sources of power. But they have a significant weapon to deploy on the bump in flamethrower Roki Sasaki, one of the most talented pitchers in the world, when healthy. Sasaki finished his regular season with his first complete game since 2022, clinching a postseason berth for Lotte. The Marines also have quality depth, with strikeout machine Atsuki Taneichi and fan-favorite Kazuya Ojima as keys for the rest of the series. Dallas Keuchel could also feature.
With intimidating front-end pitching, Lotte has the ability to shut down Nippon-Ham’s explosive offense. That said, the Fighters’ star power, solid defense, superior head-to-head record, and home-field advantage position them well to move on to face the juggernaut SoftBank Hawks.
- NPB Standings
- Central League Hitting Leaders
- Central League Pitching Leaders
- Pacific League Hitting Leaders
- Pacific League Pitching Leaders
- Yuri’s NPB Pitcher Rankings
- Yakyu Cosmopolitan’s Website
