The Softbank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) have been a dynasty, and dynasties make sports great. And now, they’re back.
2014-2020: The Dynasty Years
TOKYO, Japan – From 2014 to 2020, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks went six for seven on Japan Series titles — only falling to Shohei Ohtani’s Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2016 — cementing their name as one of the greatest dynasties in Nippon Professional Baseball history. Though they didn’t take home the regular season pennant in three of those seasons, the Hawks were almost unbeatable in the playoffs, taking down five different Central League teams in the process. No matter who was put in front of them, SoftBank prevailed. Make no mistake, this team was a true juggernaut.
In 2018 and 2019, they faced one of their most difficult tests against a historically stacked Seibu Lions offense, who had bested them in the regular season. Yet, they flexed their muscles in the Pacific League Championship Series, going 8-1 against them between the two seasons, including a reverse sweep in 2019. They secured their final Japan Series ring in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, making quick work of the Yomiuri Giants and outscoring them 26-4. SoftBank was seemingly unstoppable, led by legendary manager Kimiyasu Kudo and superstars like Yuki Yanagita and Kodai Senga.
2021-2023: The Collapse?
Just as empires rise and fall, baseball dynasties also cannot last forever, and 2021 marked the end of SoftBank’s dominance atop NPB. The Hawks not only failed to win the pennant, but they didn’t even make the postseason, finishing two games under .500. To be fair, 2021 was a highly unorthodox season in that many foreign players had a delayed entry into Japan due to pandemic protocols, and extra innings were terminated completely, resulting in an NPB-leading 21 ties for SoftBank. Perhaps they could’ve snuck into the playoffs and worked their typical clutch magic had the regulation rules been different – as they were typically a strong team in extras – but whatever the excuse may be, the fact of the matter was that the Hawks failed to win the Japan Series for the first time since 2016. Kudo stepped down as manager, and journeyman coach Hiroshi Fujimoto was promoted from the farm to take over the helm.
In the subsequent seasons, SoftBank had a chance to prove that 2021 was merely a blip in the radar, but they did no such thing. They made the playoffs in 2022 but fell short of making it to the Japan Series yet again, falling to the Orix Buffaloes. Losing in October – a major strength of theirs in the past – further indicated that the Hawks were not who they used to be. Kodai Senga left for MLB following the 2022 campaign, leaving a gaping hole at the top of the rotation no matter how much middling depth they added.
Then, father-time caught up to 10x All-Star Nobuhiro Matsuda and their Cuban stars, Yurisbel Gracial and Alfredo Despaigne. The imports replacing them, like Freddy Galvis, Courtney Hawkins, and Willians Astudillo, simply weren’t cut out for NPB. They had just one home run combined from their foreigners in 2023, a far cry from the days of Despaigne and Dae-ho Lee single-handedly hitting over 30 bombs in previous iterations of the team. Their 2023 campaign came to an end after shockingly blowing a three-run lead in the 10th inning to the Lotte Marines in a winner-take-all playoff game.
Of course, with one of the wealthiest sports owners in the world, Masayoshi Son, SoftBank always has the option of throwing money at its problems. They signed Kohei Arihara, coming off an unfruitful MLB stint with the Texas Rangers, Roberto Osuna, a premier closer, and, most importantly, Kensuke Kondoh, a bonafide superstar and on-base machine.
These signings helped the team avoid a complete free fall to the bottom of the standings, but something was still missing. The Buffaloes took over as the top dog in the Pacific League, winning three straight pennants with a 42-33-2 against SoftBank in head-to-head matchups from 2021 to 2023, including postseason play. Orix had discovered a successful formula — develop homegrown pitching, utilize platoon advantages with lots of moving parts, and post MLB talent (Masataka Yoshida and Yoshinobu Yamamoto) before reinvesting the money into the team. Despite more than doubling Orix’s budget, SoftBank just couldn’t keep up.
2023-2024 Offseason
2024 has marked a complete renaissance for this storied franchise. They again made a splash over the offseason, bringing in Seibu Lions slugger Hotaka Yamakawa on a four-year contract and re-signing Roberto Osuna to a four-year extension. With Fujimoto’s tenure ending in disaster, they turned to franchise legend and former Japanese national team skipper Hiroki Kokubo, who took over managerial duties and overhauled the coaching staff.
Many of their players also went to Driveline over the winter to receive some of the most advanced, up-to-date training methods (Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka is just one of two NPB stadiums to display Trackman data publicly on broadcasts). To shore up deficiencies in the starting pitching, the team decided to stretch out relievers Livan Moinelo and Ryosuke Ohtsu to compete for spots in the rotation alongside Kohei Arihara, Tomohisa Ohzeki, Nao Higashihama, Shuta Ishikawa, Carter Stewart Jr., and Tsuyoshi Wada (yes, he’s still pitching at 43).
2024: The Empire Strikes Back
SoftBank got off to a running start with an 18-6-2 record at the end of April and hasn’t looked back. As of July 30, they sit comfortably atop the PL with a commanding 11-game lead over second place. Despite scuffling a bit heading into the all-star break, they’ve come back stronger than ever and are now a season-best 30 games over .500 at 59-29-3 (33-10-2 at home). They have a winning record against every team in their league and went 12-6 against the CL in interleague play, dominating the entire circuit.
What makes them so great? A little bit of everything. While the rest of the league struggled to muster much offense with NPB’s dead balls, the Hawks have a team wRC+ of 119, powered by Yuki Yanagita, Kensuke Kondoh, Hotaka Yamakawa, and Kenta Imamiya. Yanagita went down with a season-ending injury in late May, but younger bats like Tomoya Masaki and Tatsuru Yanagimachi have stepped up in his absence. They have ten hitters with a wRC+ over 100 (min. 100 PA), showcasing incredible depth beyond their top-end star power. As a unit, the Hawks aren’t afraid to swing and miss with the worst Whiff% and In-Zone Contact% in NPB. Yet, this ‘go big or go home’ mentality has also produced the best Isolated Power and Hard-Hit% across NPB. They also run the bases exceptionally well, and speedster Ukyo Shuto leads the way with 32 swipes.
On the other side of the ball, SoftBank has one of the best defenses in modern history, leading the way by a wide margin with a 58.4 Ultimate Zone Rating (Deltagraphs) and 60 Defensive Runs Saved (SIS Baseball). Going position by position, the team has no major holes as catcher Takuya Kai, third baseman Ryoya Kurihara, shortstop Kenta Imamiya, left fielder Kensuke Kondoh, and center fielder Ukyo Shuto all have a strong case as the No. 1 fielder at their respective positions. On an individual level, veteran Kai’s focus on improving his framing has paid dividends, going from -36 on Extra Strikes Gained to +61 this season, courtesy of SIS Baseball. Finding permanent homes for Kurihara (former outfielder) and Shuto (former utilityman) has also been key.
Their pitching has also held up incredibly well, as they lead the PL in ERA, xFIP, and CSW%. The Ryosuke Ohtsu and Livan Moinelo starter experiments have been a resounding success, with the latter leading the league in ERA. In hindsight, it’s easy to say Moinelo was a slam dunk as a starter, but many were reluctant to convert the proven reliever. Moreover, Arihara is a Sawamura Award contender, and Stewart has elevated his game, providing them with four reliable starters. Their bullpen is also very stable, with plenty of swing-and-miss stuff in Kazuki Sugiyama, Koya Fujii, Yuki Tsumori, Yuki Matsumoto, and Darwinzon Hernandez. Their collective ability to stabilize the late innings – despite Moinelo and Ohtsu moving to the rotation and Osuna taking a step back – should be applauded.
Outlook
With the best offense, the best defense, and one of the top pitching staffs in the country, the SoftBank Hawks should cruise to the Pacific League pennant and are the heavy favorites to win the Japan Series. Regarding weaknesses, Moinelo and Ohtsu’s inexperience with a full-season workload could be exposed down the stretch as some other teams (Marines, Buffaloes, etc.) have more proven aces. Still, anyone who faces SoftBank in the postseason will have their work cut out for them. Indeed, the Hawks are on the verge of reclaiming their throne with a perfect blend of strategic smarts, financial resources, and overwhelming talent.
Photo Credit: In a picture taken on November 20, 2011, Pacific League champions Softbank Hawks manager Koji Akiyama is tossed in the air by the Hawks players as they celebrate victory in the Japan Series professional baseball championship in Fukuoka, western Japan. The Hawks defeated Central League champion Chunichi Dragons 3-0 and clinched the Japan Series title 4-3. AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)
