TOKYO, Japan — With a 9-4 victory on Monday night, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched their first Pacific League pennant since 2020 and their 20th title in franchise history. The win fittingly came on the road against the Orix Buffaloes, the three-time defending PL champions who had previously dethroned them.
Orix led 2-1 going into the 4th, but Yuto Kawamura – who was playing in place of injured superstar Kensuke Kondoh – tied it with an RBI single, and speedster Ukyo Shuto put SoftBank in front with a two-run triple. They added three more runs in the 5th before Orix replied with two runs in the 6th to make it 7-4. But the Hawks put the game away with two more runs in the 8th, and Darwinzon Hernandez struck out the side in the 9th to seal the deal as they improved to 85-47-3 on the year.
From 2014 to 2020, the Hawks won six of seven Japan Series titles under Kimiyasu Kudo’s management, establishing themselves as one of the most dominant dynasties in NPB history. The team took a step back in 2021, resulting in Kudo’s resignation at the end of the season. Hiroshi Fujimoto took over the helm thereafter but failed to get SoftBank back to the top. However, things changed for the better in 2024, with franchise legend and former Japanese national team manager Hiroki Kokubo taking over. The Hawks have run laps around its competition with a +208 run differential and an 11-game lead over the second-place Nippon-Ham Fighters.
The biggest-budget team in NPB got plenty of production from its major free agent signings over the past two seasons — Kensuke Kondoh and Hotaka Yamakawa — but it was the contributions of the surrounding cast that pushed them over the top. When Yuki Yanagita got injured in May, youngsters Tomoya Masaki and Tatsuru Yanagimachi stepped up to become key role players with a 122 and 121 wRC+, respectively. Yanagita is currently rehabbing and is expected to return in the coming weeks. Kondoh is out for the remainder of the regular season but will possibly return in time for the postseason.
The pitching staff also exceeded expectations thanks to veteran Kohei Arihara’s consistency, former top MLB pick Carter Stewart’s breakout, and Cuban Livan Moinelo and sophomore Ryosuke Ohtsu’s successful transition from the bullpen to the rotation. SoftBank is now guaranteed a spot in the Pacific League Climax Series Finals, which is set to begin on October 16.
Meanwhile, the Yomiuri Giants are fending off the Hanshin Tigers for the Central League pennant. The arch-rivals split a crucial series over the weekend as Yomiuri maintained a two-game lead for first place. Their magic number is down to four with six games remaining.
For much of the season, the CL pennant race was closely contested between the Giants and Hiroshima Carp, but the latter has fallen on rough times with a 4-16 record in September. At the same time, the Tigers have surged with the league’s best record this month. Hanshin is chasing back-to-back pennants for the first time in franchise history but will require help as they no longer have any head-to-head games remaining with Yomiuri.
Under first-year manager Shinnosuke Abe, the Giants have thrived across all facets of the game. They lead the CL with 16 defensive runs saved, Kazuma Okamoto and Yoshihiro Maru provide big firepower in the lineup, and the front three rotation of Tomoyuki Sugano, Shosei Togo, and Foster Griffin is as good as any other in NPB.
Yomiuri is looking for their first CL title since 2020. If the standings hold, the Giants will earn a first-round bye, getting them one step closer to the Japan Series and the elusive 23rd ring in franchise history. When SoftBank and Yomiuri faced off four years ago, the Hawks outscored them 26-4 in a lopsided sweep. Can they get revenge this time?
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WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
