Orix Buffaloes RHP Yoshihisa Hirano shakes hands with manager Mamoru Kishida after facing the final batter of his NPB career (Photo: Pacific League TV)
This week in Nippon Professional Baseball, Yoshihisa Hirano and Akira Nakamura played the final games of their decorated careers, Kenta Maeda hurled his first shutout in over a decade, Shugo Maki and Kensuke Kondoh hit 30 home runs for the first time, and the Hanshin Tigers reopened a two-game lead over the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League pennant race.
Also, I recently launched a new Substack alongside fellow Talking Yakyu Podcast host Brandon Tew for data-driven reports on NPB players. Please check it out if you’re interested in more in-depth analysis. Now, letโs dive into the weekโs big performances.
Tuesday (9/22)
Shugo Maki’s 30th shot
Shugo Maki (BayStars) reached 30 home runs for the first time to help take down the Dragons, 7-3.
Kotaro Kurebayashi (Buffaloes) hit his 17th dinger in a 6-4 win against the Marines.
Shun Mizutani (Fighters) delivered a go-ahead two-run shot in a 6-5 comeback victory versus the Eagles.
Teruaki Sato (Tigers) hit his 36th home run in a 9-7 extra innings win against the Swallows.
Naru Katsuda (Carp) walked off the Giants in extras.
Wednesday (9/23)
Ryoya Kurihara’s 39th bomb
Haruto Takahashi (Tigers) registered his 15th win of the season, becoming the first to do so in franchise history since Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi in 2004.
Yasutaka Tobashira (BayStars) belted a walk-off home run in extras to top the Dragons, 4-3.
Ryoya Kurihara (Hawks) smashed his NPB-leading 39th homer in a 10-3 thumping of the Lions.
Allen Kuri (Buffaloes) tossed 7 shutout innings in a 1-0 win over the Marines.
Thursday (9/24)
Kenta Maeda’s first shutout with Rakuten
Kenta Maeda (Eagles) delivered his first complete game shutout since 2014 in a 6-0 victory over the Fighters. He allowed just two hits while striking out 9.
Shogo Sakakura (Carp) posted his 14th home run in a 3-1 win against the Giants.
Friday (9/25)
Yoshihisa Hirano’s final batter
Yoshihisa Hirano (Buffaloes) held his retirement game, striking out the only batter he faced. He finished his NPB career with 250 saves and 1,001 strikeouts.
