SoftBank's Kurihara ends season on 40 homers; Lotte's Yamaguchi closes to two
In short
Lotte outfielder Yamaguchi Koki hit his 38th home run of the season on Oct 5 against Seibu, his third straight game with a homer, leaving him two behind SoftBank's Kurihara Ryoya. Kurihara, on 40, was replaced on defense in the fifth inning of his game and finished his season. Yamaguchi has one game left, against Seibu on Oct 6, to try to catch him.
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Lotte outfielder Yamaguchi Koki hit his 38th home run of the season on Oct 5 in a game against Seibu, his third consecutive game with a homer, leaving him two behind SoftBank's Kurihara Ryoya in the race for the most home runs in the league. Kurihara finished his season on 40, according to Sankei Shimbun and Nippon TV News. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Sankei reported the homer came with the score at 0-0 in the third inning, off a breaking ball from Takahashi Hikaru, and landed in the left-field stands. Yamaguchi described the contact as “完璧でした”, or perfect. Nippon TV News described the same hit as a go-ahead solo home run. Sankei also reported that Yamaguchi reached the season's qualifying plate appearances for the first time in three seasons after batting a fifth time in the ninth inning. [ 1 , 3 ]
Nippon TV News reported that Kurihara, on 40 home runs, was replaced on defense from the fifth inning of his game and finished his season at that total, putting him two ahead of Yamaguchi. [ 1 ]
Yamaguchi, chasing his first home run title, said he wants to hit two more and that he would rather not think about it too much, according to Sankei. He has one game left, against Seibu on Oct 6. On a Fuji TV ONE programme, former players Tsuji Hatsuhiko and Saito Masaki praised Yamaguchi's swing, with Tsuji calling him a “home run artist”, while programme host Sakaguchi Tomotaka said he wanted Yamaguchi to swing for the title in every at-bat, Mynavi News reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The Nippon Professional Baseball home run title is still undecided going into the final day, with the leader's season already over and the challenger two behind. The outcome rests on a single game, giving the last round of the regular season a title race that would otherwise be settled.
Key facts
- Lotte's Yamaguchi Koki hit his 38th home run of the season on Oct 5 in a game against Seibu. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It was his third consecutive game with a home run. [ 2 , 3 ]
- SoftBank's Kurihara Ryoya finished his season with 40 home runs, two more than Yamaguchi. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Kurihara was replaced on defense from the fifth inning of his game, Nippon TV News reported. [ 1 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reported Yamaguchi's homer was a solo shot in the third inning off Takahashi Hikaru's breaking ball, into the left-field stands. [ 3 ]
- Sankei reported Yamaguchi reached the season's qualifying plate appearances for the first time in three seasons. [ 3 ]
- Yamaguchi said he wants to hit two more and intends not to think about it too much, according to Sankei. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether Yamaguchi can tie or pass Kurihara for the most home runs. The documents say only that Yamaguchi has one game left, on Oct 6, and is two home runs behind; the result of that game is not reported.
- Yamaguchi reaching the qualifying plate-appearance threshold for the first time in three seasons. Reported only by Sankei Shimbun.
- Kurihara being replaced on defense from the fifth inning. Reported only by Nippon TV News.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Nippon TV News reports Kurihara Ryoya was replaced on defense from the fifth inning and ended his season with 40 home runs, with Yamaguchi two behind after a solo home run the same day. [ 1 ]
- Mynavi News reports pundits on a Fuji TV ONE programme discussing Yamaguchi's 38th home run and his two-homer gap to Kurihara before the final game. [ 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports Yamaguchi's third straight home run, his qualifying plate appearances and his comment that he wants to hit two more. [ 3 ]