SoftBank beat Nippon Ham 6-4, move to 3-0 with Climax Series advantage
In short
SoftBank beat Nippon Ham 6-4 in the Pacific League Climax Series final-stage opener in Fukuoka on October 14. Including its two-win advantage, SoftBank moved to 3-0 and needs two more wins to advance to the Japan Series.
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SoftBank defeated Nippon Ham 6-4 in the Pacific League Climax Series final-stage opener at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on October 14. The result gave SoftBank three wins and no losses when its two-win advantage is included, leaving it two wins short of a place in the Japan Series. [ 3 , 6 , 16 , 19 ]
Nippon Ham led 3-1 before SoftBank scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, a throwing error by Nippon Ham's first baseman allowed a run. A run-scoring hit then tied the game, and a dropped fly ball by the left fielder allowed SoftBank to take the lead. [ 3 , 6 ]
SoftBank added a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double by Kensuke Kondo (近藤健介) to extend its lead to 6-3. Yuya Gunji (郡司裕也) hit a solo home run for Nippon Ham in the seventh inning. SoftBank held the lead through the remaining innings and finished with a 6-4 victory. [ 6 , 9 ]
Yomiuri reported that rookie Gota Suzuki (鈴木豪太) earned a win in his first Climax Series appearance. He relieved the starter with the bases loaded and ended that threat, then retired all three batters in the fourth inning, Jiji Press reported. Nippon Ham produced 11 hits, more than its opponent, but left 10 runners on base, according to Yomiuri. [ 13 , 15 ]
Yahoo! News Japan reported that SoftBank finished the regular season 13 games ahead of third-place Nippon Ham and won its third consecutive Pacific League title. It said a rule introduced this season gives the league champion a two-win advantage when it faces an opponent it finished at least 10 games ahead of in the final stage. [ 9 ]
Why it matters
SoftBank turned a 3-1 deficit into a lead with five runs in the fourth inning, helped by two Nippon Ham errors. Nippon Ham had 11 hits but left 10 runners on base.
Key facts
- SoftBank beat Nippon Ham 6-4 in the final-stage opener on October 14 in Fukuoka. [ 3 , 6 , 16 ]
- Including its two-win advantage, SoftBank's series record became 3-0. [ 6 , 9 , 19 ]
- SoftBank needs two further wins to reach the Japan Series. [ 6 , 19 ]
- SoftBank scored five runs in the fourth inning, with two Nippon Ham errors contributing. [ 3 , 6 , 13 ]
- Nippon Ham recorded 11 hits but left 10 runners on base. [ 7 , 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- No open questions in the coverage so far.