Tatsuki Mizuno hit a clutch two-run triple in the seventh inning on Monday, October 14 as the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-2 to win the Pacific League Climax Series First Stage.
The Fighters will travel to face the league champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the six-game final stage beginning on Wednesday, October 16 with the winner advancing to the Japan Series.
With the game tied 2-2 in the seventh and runners on first and second, No 9 hitter Mizuno drilled an offering from Lotte starter Atsuki Taneichi into the gap in right-center field, allowing both runners to score at Es Con Field Hokkaido.
Chusei Mannami hit an RBI single in the eighth that scored Kotaro Kiyomiya from third to make it 5-2.
Veteran reliever Naoki Miyanishi retired the side in the ninth to seal the win.
Ryusei Kawano, who recorded two outs in the seventh, was credited with the win while Taneichi took the loss.
Third-place Lotte took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning but the Fighters tied it in the third on Kiyomiya's two-out, two-run single.
"I feel really happy to think that I can still play baseball with the support of all these beloved fans and my teammates," said Kiyomiya, who, after several tough years, has emerged as one of Nipponham's best clutch hitters.
Shinjo Revives the Nipponham Fighters
It's an impressive result for the Fighters, who finished last in the PL standings in the first two seasons under manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
After two last-place finishes, some questioned Shinjo's managerial style. But nobody is doubting him now.
Shinjo guided the Fighters (75-60-8) to a second-place finish this season and now they are headed to Fukuoka with the chance to reach the Japan Series.
Hawks Excelled During the 2024 Season
At 91-49-3, SoftBank had the best record in all of Japanese baseball and will be difficult to beat. But the Fighters were 12-12 with one tie against the Hawks in the regular season.
SoftBank has the clear advantage in starting pitching and is likely to deploy its two top pitchers, Kohei Arihara and Livan Moinelo, early in the series.
Arihara tied for the Pacific League lead with 14 wins and had a superb 2.36 ERA. Moinelo was 11-5 with a league-leading 1.88 ERA.
Carter Stewart Jr (9-4, 1.95 ERA) and Shuta Ishikawa (7-2, 2.56 ERA) are also available to start. That's a formidable starting rotation.
SoftBank also enjoys the overwhelming advantage at the plate with slugger Hotaka Yamakawa, who led the league in homers (34) and RBIs (99).
In addition, the Hawks' Kensuke Kondoh was the PL batting champion (.314).
But Nipponham has shown an uncanny ability to come back in this postseason.
Marines' Sasaki Shines in Series Opener
Roki Sasaki went eight shutout innings on Saturday, October 12 to lead the Marines to a 2-0 win in the opening game.
The 22-year-old right-hander struck out nine and scattered five hits with two walks in 112 pitches to hold the Fighters in check.
It was a performance that is certain to raise Sasaki's stock among teams in Major League Baseball.
Sasaki went 10-5 in the regular season with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 18 mound appearances (111 innings).
The Fighters evened the series at one game apiece in dramatic fashion the next day.
Trailing 2-1, Mannami hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth before Daiki Asama connected for a walk-off single to right in the 10th inning to make it 3-2 and force Monday's decisive game.
BayStars Sweep Tigers in CL Climax Series Opening Round
In the Central League Climax Series First Stage, catcher Yasutaka Tobashira drove in five runs on Sunday, October 13 as the Yokohama DeNA BayStars defeated the Hanshin Tigers 10-3 at Koshien Stadium to complete a two-game sweep of the 2023 Japan Series champions.
Up next: Yokohama against the pennant-winning Yomiuri Giants in the CL Climax Series Final Stage.
Sunday's loss was the final game for retiring Hanshin manager Akinobu Okada.
"We made the same mistake again and again," Okada said, according to Kyodo News. "Their hitters pounced on our first pitches … there was no way to stop that."
Yokohama pitcher Andre Jackson allowed just one run and struck out nine over 5⅔ innings to pick up the win.
Hanshin starter Haruto Takahashi gave up four runs on six hits over five innings to take the loss.
The BayStars, who finished third in the Central League standings, defeated the Tigers 3-1 in the first game on Saturday.
Can the BayStars Overcome the Giants?
The Giants were 16-8 with one tie against the BayStars in the regular season.
But the BayStars go into the series with their hitters on a roll while the Giants have had to wait around which sometimes can leave a team cold.
In addition to Tobashira, Keita Sano, Tyler Austin and Shugo Maki are all swinging a hot bat and could do some damage.
Still, the Giants will have their starting pitchers well-rested and have a clear advantage in that category.
Expect starters Shosei Togo and Tomoyuki Sugano to feature prominently for first-year manager Shinnosuke Abe's Giants.
Togo was 12-8 with a stellar 1.95 ERA and Sugano was 15-3 with an equally impressive 1.67 ERA. If they were to pitch up to their potential in the first two games, that would allow the Giants to take control of the series early.
As pennant winners, the Giants start with a one-win advantage and all six games, or however many will be necessary, will be at Tokyo Dome.
RELATED:
- [NPB NOTEBOOK] Tsuyoshi Shinjo Has the Nipponham Fighters Believing in Themselves
- SoftBank Hawks Return to Top of Pacific League with Eye on Japan Series Crown
- [NPB NOTEBOOK] Yomiuri Giants Rookie Manager Shinnosuke Abe Revives the Team
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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