507SoftBank manager Hiroki Kokubo is thrown into the air in celebration (Photo: Asahi)
The 2025 Japan Series and World Series are in the history books as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Hanshin Tigers in five games, and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic Game 7.
Congratulations to former Orix Buffalo Yoshinobu Yamamoto on winning World Series MVP after one of the gutsiest performances in postseason history! Over in NPB, slugger Hotaka Yamakawa was named Japan Series MVP for hitting three home runs as the juggernaut Hawks secured their first title since 2020 and their 12th in franchise history.
Let’s look back at the final three games of the Nippon Series at Koshien Stadium.
The Hawks took the series lead in what was a much-anticipated pitcher’s duel between the Pacific and Central League ERA champions, Livan Moinelo and Hiroto Saiki. Teruaki Sato’s RBI double gave Hanshin an early lead, but Hotaka Yamakawa tied it with a solo homer in the fourth, his second in as many games.
Tatsuru Yanagimachi’s RBI triple in the sixth put SoftBank ahead, 2-1, and Moinelo finished with six innings of one-run ball. Their three-headed dragon in the bullpen of Kouya Fujii, Yuki Matsumoto, and Kazuki Sugiyama did the rest, shutting the door in style.
Yamakawa stayed hot, homering for the third straight game to open the scoring in the second inning, tying a Japan Series record and becoming the first player to do so since Brad Eldred in 2016. Ryosuke Ohtsu spun five shutout innings.
Reigning PL MVP Kensuke Kondoh, limited to pinch-hitting duties because of an injury, added a key RBI single in the sixth to make it 3-0. Hanshin rallied for two runs in the eighth off Matsumoto, but Sugiyama worked a perfect ninth for his second straight save as the Hawks moved one win away from the title.
With 41,606 fans packed into Koshien, Hanshin looked poised to force a Game 6 after taking a 2-0 lead through seven innings. Presumptive CL MVP Sato made it seven straight games with an RBI dating back to the CLCS. Kotaro Ohtake was very efficient with six scoreless frames.
But Yuki Yanagita’s dramatic two-run homer off Daichi Ishii in the eighth tied things up, ending Daichi Ishii’s historic scoreless streak that had lasted since early April, and adding another iconic moment to the 37-year-old superstar’s resume. In the 11th, Isami Nomura launched a go-ahead opposite-field homer off ace Shoki Murakami, who had entered in relief for extra innings. In the bottom half, Matsumoto got Nozomu Takatera to bounce out to second to end the game as the Hawks’ bench erupted in celebration.
After dropping Game 1, Hiroki Kokubo’s squad won four straight, including three one-run nail-biters on the road, putting an emphatic finish on a season that shockingly began with a 9-16-2 record on May 1 (partially due to injuries). They were the best side in Japan the rest of the way.
