A few days before the Japan Series and World Series got underway, NPB held its annual amateur player draft. The Rakuten Eagles won the five-way lottery for prized Meiji University shortstop Rui Muneyama, and the Chunichi Dragons got their hands on generational left-handed pitching prospect Yumeto Kanemaru from Kansai University after a four-way draw.
The Lotte Marines secured Aoyama Gakuin University outfielder Misho Nishikawa — the MVP of Haarlem Baseball Week — and the Yakult Swallows got Aichi Institute of Technology flamethrower Yuto Nakamura. All four players were selected to Samurai Japan’s senior team earlier this year (JapanBall attended the event!) and are expected to make an impact at the NPB level right away in 2025.
The first two games of the World Series have certainly lived up to the hype. Now, let’s check out how the first two games of the Nippon Series played out!
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the Japan Series with a 5-3 win over the BayStars. Former Texas Rangers right-hander Kohei Arihara threw seven shutout innings, using a healthy mix of cutters and sinkers to keep the opposing hitters off-balance, while DeNA’s Andre Jackson managed to strike out nine over 4.2 innings, including a Nippon Series record-tying five straight. Arihara also contributed offensively with a two-run single in the 2nd inning, marking the first RBI of his entire career. #PitchersWhoRake! Late insurance runs in the 9th off the bats of Kenta Imamiya and Ryoya Kurihara put SoftBank up 5-0.
In the bottom of the 9th, DeNA mounted a rally against Roberto Osuna, scoring three runs, with Tyler Austin, Kouki Kajiwara, Keito Mori, and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo recording consecutive hits. Osuna then threw the ball away on a potential game-ending play, bringing the winning run up to the plate. However, Osuna held on, retiring superstar captain Shugo Maki to end the game. Arihara’s two-way impact made him the first player since 1986 to be the winning pitcher and record the game-winning knock in a Japan Series game.
In Game 2, SoftBank’s offensive prowess continued to shine as they downed DeNA 6-3 on a rainy Yokohama night (also election day in Japan). The Hawks struck early, with Hotaka Yamakawa hitting a two-run homer in the 1st inning, and Taisei Makihara adding a two-run single in the 3rd, chasing DeNA starter Shinichi Ohnuki from the game. Takuya Kai’s sacrifice fly extended the lead to five. An Ukyo Shuto double, followed by a Yamakawa RBI single later in the 4th inning, made it 6-0.
The BayStars, who didn’t have a hit until the 4th, finally rallied against PL ERA title winner Livan Moinelo in the 5th, putting up two runs on four consecutive hits, and narrowed the gap further to 6-3 in the 7th with Shugo Maki’s RBI double. But the Hawks’ bullpen held strong, with Darwinzon Hernandez and Roberto Osuna combining to shut out DeNA in the final two innings. Osuna, who was very shaky in Game 1, secured the save this time, giving SoftBank a 2-0 series lead as the action shifts to Fukuoka.
The Hawks have now won 14 consecutive Japan Series games dating back to 2018 and will only need to take two of three at home to clinch the championship. CL batting title winner Tyler Austin missed Game 2 with a bruised toe and will be a game-time decision for Game 3.
- 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
