The Hanshin Tigers made Nippon Professional Baseball history on Sunday, Sept. 7, when they clinched the Central League pennant on the earliest date in league history.
The previous record had stood since 1990, when the Yomiuri Giants secured the title on September 8. Adding to the historic nature of the achievement, rookie manager Kyuji Fujikawa became the first skipper in Hanshin franchise history to secure the pennant in his debut season at the helm.
Aside from a flat 8-10 showing during interleague play in June, the Tigers have steamrolled their way through the regular season, as their competition has struggled to even remain above the .500 mark. As of Sept. 17, Hanshin stands at a very impressive 80-49-3, and with 11 games left on the schedule, has a chance to challenge the club’s all-time record of 87 for most wins in a season. After clinching the pennant, Fujikawa summed it up succinctly, saying, “Well, our players are strong.”
Like Akinobu Okada’s Japan Series-winning squad in 2023, Fujikawa’s Tigers have been blessed by a remarkable health record, with nearly all of their core players available throughout the season. Their top five in the batting order (Koji Chikamoto, Takumu Nakano, Shota Morishita, Teruaki Sato, and Yusuke Ohyama) have only missed seven games combined all year. That stability stands in stark contrast to other CL contenders: the Yakult Swallows spent the entire first half without Munetaka Murakami and Yasutaka Shiomi, the Yomiuri Giants endured three months without Kazuma Okamoto, and the defending champion DeNA BayStars have had trouble getting their star bats on the field all at the same time.
Chikamoto and Nakano have excelled as table-setters, posting a combined .350 on-base percentage and swiping 49 bases between them. Behind them, Morishita and Sato have formed one of the most explosive one-two punches in Japan, piling up 54 doubles, 59 home runs, and 179 RBIs. Sato, in particular, has been a force, comfortably leading all qualified NPB hitters with a 188 OPS+ and 7.1 WAR, while also showing noticeable improvement defensively at the hot corner. Ohyama hasn’t quite matched his peak form from 2023, but has still contributed nine homers and a 125 OPS+.
Seishiro Sakamoto has been invaluable behind the plate, leading NPB catchers with 20 Defensive Runs Saved while also maintaining an excellent .360 on-base percentage. Shortstop and left field have been weaker fluid positions in the lineup, but the rest of the supporting cast has done enough to give Hanshin a collective 106 OPS+, tied with Yomiuri for the best mark in the CL.
But what’s truly separated Hanshin from the rest of the league is its pitching. At the top, co-aces Shoki Murakami and Hiroto Saiki have been nearly untouchable, combining for a 1.86 ERA across more than 300 innings. New import Jon Duplantier has been one of the most dominant starters in NPB on a per-inning basis with a 1.39 ERA and a 32% strikeout rate over 15 starts. Injury-prone southpaw Haruto Takahashi has also returned to form, posting a 2.09 ERA and 27% strikeout rate in seven outings. At the back of the rotation, soft-tossers like Kotaro Ohtake and Masashi Itoh have supplied steady innings with a pitch-to-contact approach.
2025 Hanshin Tigers Statistics
The bullpen has been just as suffocating, anchored by veteran closer Suguru Iwazaki (31 saves, 1.69 ERA) and reinforced by reliable arms like Masaki Oyokawa (41 holds, 0.93 ERA), Daichi Ishii (35 holds, 0.18 ERA), Atsuki Yuasa (21 holds, 2.65 ERA), Takuma Kirishiki (13 holds, 2.84 ERA), and Rafael Dolis (5 holds, 1.84 ERA). All together, the Tigers’ staff has put up a staggering 2.17 ERA (133 ERA+) and 2.71 FIP (86 FIP-), dominance that has been further amplified by the team’s great defense at key spots like catcher, second base, and the outfield.
Hanshin now turns its attention to October, where they will receive a first-round bye and enter as heavy favorites to reach the Japan Series, most likely against either the SoftBank Hawks or the Nippon-Ham Fighters. If the Tigers can finish the job and claim just the third Japan Series title in franchise history, it would mark not only the crowning achievement of a year that began with exhibition victories over both the Dodgers and Cubs in March, but also the early makings of a dynasty following their 2023 triumph that finally shattered the infamous “Curse of the Colonel.”
Photo: The Hanshin Tigers celebrate their first Japan Series championship since 1985, lofting manager Akinobu Okada after defeating the Orix Buffaloes 7-1 in game seven. Could they do it again in 2025? (The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)
