I’m Yuri Karasawa, and I’m taking over the newsletter from Trevor. Some of you may be familiar with my work at “Yakyu Cosmopolitan” on YouTube and X where I cover all things related to Japanese baseball in English. You’ll also find me on some JapanBall tours in the Greater Tokyo area. I have some huge shoes to fill with Trevor’s departure, but I’ll do my best to deliver the most important news and stories from NPB weekly. Now, let’s cut to the chase.
All-Star Game 1, Es Con Field Hokkaido (Kitahiroshima)
The players started their day with a blue carpet show outside Es Con Field to flaunt their best outfits before taking the field for what turned out to be a pretty lopsided affair. Hanshin Tigers right-hander Hiroto Saiki struck out the side in the 1st inning to escape a bases-loaded jam. The Central League All-Stars took that momentum to score nine runs off Nippon-Ham Fighters southpaw Sachiya Yamasaki in the 2nd with home runs by Yoshihiro Maru (Giants), Shugo Maki (BayStars), and Munetaka Murakami (Swallows). Maki hit another long ball in the 4th and was named MVP. Rakuten Eagles pitcher Takahiro Norimoto had some fun by attempting to throw a few knuckleballs. The Pacific League made things interesting with a late 3-run homer by Hotaka Yamakawa (Hawks), but the CL’s early explosion was too much to overcome.
FINAL: Central League 11, Pacific League 6.
All-Star Game 2, Meiji Jingu Stadium (Tokyo)
The bats were alive and well for the second straight night as the sides combined for 26 runs and 44 hits – the most in NPB All-Star history. Rakuten Eagles outfielder Ryosuke Tatsumi got the PL on the board with a solo shot in the top of the 2nd, but Hiroshima Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura answered in the bottom of the inning with a grand slam. The PL rallied for five runs in the 4th to take an 8-4 lead, but the CL tied it in the 5th with back-to-back homers by Tyler Austin (BayStars) and Munetaka Murakami. Murakami had an exceptional event, totaling two doubles and two homers. However, that’s where the back-and-forth stopped as the PL took over the game from that point with two runs in the 6th, one run in the 7th, four runs in the 8th, and one run in the 9th to plate a record-setting 16 runs. Lotte Marines outfielder Hiromi Oka hit his second homer of the series. Kensuke Kondoh (Hawks) and Toshiya Satoh (Marines) each had a whopping five hits as the latter was declared MVP. The CL also added two runs to give them double-digits on the night. What a slugfest!
FINAL: Pacific League 16, Central League 10.
Fresh All-Star Game
In the Fresh All-Star Game – NPB’s equivalent of the MLB Futures Game – the Eastern League defeated the Western League, 7-0. Many “Fresh All-Stars” grow up to become top players in NPB. NPB added two expansion teams on the farm this year, making this the first time that players from teams unaffiliated with parent NPB clubs participated in the game. A pair of 2023 draftees in Taiki Ishikami (BayStars) and Yuya Shinto (Fighters) homered. Yakult Swallows catcher Seiya Hashimoto went 2 for 3 with 4 RBI to earn MVP honors.
Home Run Derby
NPB’s Home Run Derby is split over two days, and the format was altered this year to allow for unlimited swings in a two-minute round. On day one at Es Con Field Hokkaido, Kensuke Kondoh took down Shugo Maki and Kazuma Okamoto (Giants) to advance to the championship. On day two at Meiji Jingu Stadium, Hotaka Yamakawa beat Seiya Hosokawa (Dragons) and Ariel Martinez (Fighters) to set up an all-Hawks finals with Kondoh. The teammates initially tied, 8-8, but Kondoh came out on top, 5-4, in an intense one-minute tiebreaker round to win the derby. As his prize, Kondoh won a new Nissan Electric Vehicle.
Second Half Outlook
In the PL, the SoftBank Hawks should cakewalk to the pennant with an 11-game lead over second place, but the Lotte Marines, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Rakuten Eagles, and Orix Buffaloes will continue to duke it out for the last two playoff spots. Hawks outfielder Kensuke Kondoh is on Triple Crown watch. He’s leading in batting average while being second in homers and fourth in RBI.
The Yomiuri Giants lead the way in the CL, but things remain up in the air, with just 5.5 games separating first and fourth place. It should be highly competitive down the stretch for the Hiroshima Carp, Hanshin Tigers, and DeNA BayStars. Swallows superstar Munetaka Murakami is finally heating up and leading the HR race, but Kazuma Okamoto (Giants), Tyler Austin (BayStars), and Shugo Maki (BayStars) aren’t too far behind. Hiroto Takahashi (Dragons) and Daichi Ohsera (Carp) still have a sub-1 ERA on the year!
- NPB Standings
- Central League Hitting Leaders
- Central League Pitching Leaders
- Pacific League Hitting Leaders
- Pacific League Pitching Leaders
- Yuri’s NPB Pitcher Rankings