The Hanshin Tigers advanced to the Japan Series with a 4-0 victory over the reigning champion Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage on Friday night, October 17.
Hanshin, winner of the Central League pennant with an 85-54-4 record during the regular season, completed a series sweep of Yokohama at Koshien Stadium.
The Tigers began the series with an automatic one-win advantage given to the NPB regular-season champion in each league for the final stage.
They triumphed 2-0 over the BayStars in Game 1 on Wednesday, followed by a 5-3 win in 10 innings on Thursday.
Now, Hanshin manager Kyuji Fujikawa's club is set to take on either the Pacific League champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks or the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters in the Japan Series.
The Road to the Japan Series
The Fighters kept alive their hopes of advancing to NPB's championship series with a 9-3 win on Saturday. A day later, the Fighters triumphed 7-1 in Game 5 of the Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage. SoftBank received an automatic one-win advantage as the pennant winner, but now the series is tied 3-3. (Game 6 is on October 20.)
Hanshin had a long layoff after its last game of the regular season on October 2, then waited for the first round of the CL Climax Series to wrap up. The BayStars swept the Yomiuri Giants in the best-of-three series.
After the Tigers ended the BayStars' hopes of winning a second consecutive Japan Series crown, second-year skipper Fujikawa commented on the three games in three days.
"The players adjusted perfectly, and the fans were incredibly patient leading up to this series, cheering on the players and us," Fujikawa was quoted as saying by Daily Sports.
Standout Performances for the Hanshin Tigers
In Friday's series-clinching triumph, Tigers starter Haruto Takahashi held the BayStars to three hits in 7⅔ innings. He struck out seven batters. Three Hanshin relievers completed the three-hit shutout.
Tigers cleanup hitter Teruaki Sato smacked a three-run homer in the first inning off BayStars starter Anthony Kay, depositing a first-pitch slider over the center-field fence.
Sato was instantly pleased with the bat-on-ball contact, he told reporters later.
"I was able to swing how I wanted [on] the first pitch," Sato said, according to Kyodo News.
The same was often true in the regular season, when Sato led NPB with 40 homers and 102 RBIs.
Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, the BayStars had the bases loaded with two outs. That's when Tigers reliever Daichi Ishii, who had a jaw-dropping 0.17 ERA in 53 appearances this season, entered the game. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out Tatsu Ebina on a high fastball to end the scoring threat.
Ishii handled the high-pressure assignment with poise. And that plan worked against Ebina just like his overall approach in the 2025 NPB regular season, when he recorded 36 holds and allowed just one run in 53 innings.
"I think about each pitch differently," Ishii said, according to Nikkan Sports. "But if I started explaining that, it would probably take too long. Well, I'm just glad I got that one out."
Suguru Iwazaki pitched a scoreless ninth as the Tigers punched their ticket to the Japan Series for the second time in three years.
In 2023, Hanshin won its first Japan Series title since 1985.
Another Long Layoff for the Hanshin Tigers
The upcoming Japan Series gets underway on Saturday, October 25, in either Fukuoka or Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido Prefecture.
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Soccer
Takahashi Receives AFC Women's Player of the Year Honor
Urawa Reds Ladies defender Hana Takahashi was selected as the Asian Football Confederation Women's Player of the Year.
An announcement was made on Thursday, October 16, at the AFC's awards banquet in Riyadh.
"This award is very meaningful to me as it recognizes everything I have worked for so far," Takahashi said, according to the AFC website. "I see this as an evaluation of how far I have come, and from here on, I want to continue working hard to compete not only in Asia but also on the world stage."
Takahashi, 25, is an integral part of Urawa's defense, helping the WE League club finish in third place in the 2024-25 season.
In addition, the Saitama Prefecture native played a key role in the team's run to the 2024-25 AFC Women's Championship League quarterfinals.
Takahashi said she's proud to win the accolade, joining past Japanese award recipients Homare Sawa, Aya Miyama, Saki Kumagai and Kiko Seike, the 2024 honoree.
"While I feel I still have a long way to go compared to the other players from Japan who have been recognized with this title, it is a great honor to receive the same award as them," Takahashi said.
Tennis
Osaka Pulls Out of Japan Open with Leg Injury
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Japan Open before her quarterfinal match against Jaqueline Cristian on Friday, October 17.
Osaka, the tournament's top seed, sustained a left thigh injury during her 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-2 second-round victory over Suzan Lamens on Wednesday in Osaka.
Late in the match, world No 16 Osaka needed a medical timeout. Upon her return to the court, she had her left thigh wrapped with a medical bandage.
Due to the injury, Osaka also pulled out of the upcoming Toray Pan Pacific Open (October 20-26) in Tokyo.
Basketball
Bulls Release Injured Guard Kawamura
The Chicago Bulls cut former B.League MVP Yuki Kawamura on Friday, October 17, less than a week before the 2025-26 NBA season tips off.
Kawamura missed Chicago's final three games of the preseason due to a right leg injury. The Bulls announced they were parting ways with the 173-cm guard due to a "medical condition," The Athletic reported.
Kawamura averaged 3.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two preseason games. He also averaged 10.8 minutes per game.
The NBA season starts on Tuesday, October 21, with a pair of games: the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors vs the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, a Toyama native, is entering his seventh NBA season.
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Jets Remain B.League's Lone Unbeaten Team
The Chiba Jets improved to 6-0 with an 80-79 victory over the visiting Gunma Crane Thunders in a B.League game on Saturday, October 18.
DJ Hogg, a Texas A&M alum, paced the Jets with 19 points and five assists. John Mooney chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the new season. Yuta Watanabe had a 14-point performance.
The Jets have the best record in the 26-team league.
Gunma fell to 3-3.
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Quote of the Week
"To be part of the team that finally beat Brazil is an amazing feeling. It wasn't a perfect performance, so we'll reflect, make the necessary improvements, and move forward. We did concede goals, but in the end, we managed to shut things down when it mattered most and I'll take confidence from that."
―Japan men's soccer national team defender Shogo Taniguchi, on the Samurai Blue's 3-2 victory over Brazil in an international friendly on October 14 in Tokyo.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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