SoftBank Hawks near Japan Series after Climax Series dominance

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have taken a commanding lead in the 2026 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. After winning the first two games, SoftBank is now one win away from advancing to the Japan Series.

In the second game, SoftBank secured a dramatic 6-2 victory at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka, punctuated by a walk-off grand slam from Ryoya Kurihara in the ninth inning. The Fighters' pitcher, Koki Kitayama, provided a strong performance with 2 runs allowed over 6.2 innings, but the offense struggled to capitalize on early leads.

In the third game, Nippon-Ham managed to secure an early lead following a lineup change by manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo, with Kota Koji and Kotaro Kiyomiya driving in runs. However, SoftBank remains in a dominant position in the series due to their two-game advantage.

On the roster side, Nippon-Ham has removed pitcher Koya Shimamoto from the first-team registration. Meanwhile, SoftBank manager Hiroki Kokubo highlighted the defensive contributions of Yudai Shoji as a turning point in their recent success.