This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, Koki Yamaguchi homered in four straight games en route to setting a new Marines record for home runs by a Japanese-born player since the franchise moved to Chiba in 1992, 46-year-old Masanori Ishikawa tied an NPB record by making a start for the 25th consecutive season (the outcome was less than ideal), and the Hanshin Tigers swept the Yomiuri Giants for the second consecutive series to tighten their grip on the Central League pennant race.
Also, don’t forget to check out JapanBall’s new Substack page, as well as our ongoing series on NPB 400 Home Run Club members and my recent interview with pitching prospect Gaku Arima of Ritsumeikan University! Now, let’s dig into all the notable performances from the past week.
Tuesday (8/25)
- Livan Moinelo (Hawks) threw a 3-hit complete game shutout against the Marines.
- Kaima Taira (Lions) fired 7 shutout innings versus the Fighters to pick up his 10th win of the campaign.
- Yudai Ohno (Dragons) tossed 7 innings of 1-run ball in a 4-2 win over the Tigers.
- The Carp overcame a 6-0 deficit with an 8-run 5th inning to defeat the BayStars.
Wednesday (8/26)
- Kota Tatsu (Fighters) delivered a complete game with 10 strikeouts in a 9-1 victory over the Lions.
- Miguel Sano (Dragons) homered for the third consecutive game, giving him 20 on the year, in a 4-0 win against the Tigers.
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) belted a walk-off homer in extras against the Hawks.
Thursday (8/27)
- Carson McCusker (Eagles) smashed his 20th homer of the campaign in a 12-4 rout of the Buffaloes.
- Seishiro Sakamoto (Tigers) hit a late go-ahead two-run home run to top the Dragons, 4-3. It was also his 7th homer in August, the most by an NPB catcher in a single month since Tomoya Mori in 2019.
- Masanori Ishikawa (Swallows) made his 2026 debut, giving the 46-year-old southpaw a start in 25 consecutive NPB seasons dating back to 2002. He allowed 6 runs in a third of an inning.
Friday (8/28)
- Franmil Reyes (Fighters) homered twice in a 6-4 win over the Marines.
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) hit his 26th homer, the most by a Japanese-born hitter in franchise history since moving to Chiba in 1992.
- Hiroto Takahashi (Dragons) took a perfect game into the 7th inning and a no-hitter into the 8th inning in a 4-2 loss to the BayStars.
- An-Ko Lin (Lions) went 2 for 4 with a homer and 5 RBI in an 8-4 win over the Eagles.
- Yugo Maeda (Hawks) improved to 11-0 with 7 shutout frames versus the Buffaloes.
Saturday (8/29)
- Chihiro Sumida (Lions) threw his third complete game shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the Eagles.
- Jerar Encarnacion (BayStars) went deep in a 1-0 win against the Dragons.
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) homered for the fourth consecutive night in a 9-7 loss to the Fighters.
Sunday (8/30)
- Tatsuo Ebina (BayStars) walked off the Dragons.
- Hiroto Saiki (Tigers) tossed six shutout innings to help sweep the Giants.
- Takumi Kuriyama (Lions) recorded a hit in his retirement game.
