Softbank comes from behind win Rakuten and secure a consecutive league championship! Nippon-Ham win means the championship decision will be postponed until the 27th. | Pacific League

[Softbank] Comeback win over Rakuten puts them on the brink of winning the league title for the second consecutive year! With Nippon-Ham win, the championship decision will be postponed until after the 27th.

Sports Hochi

2025.9.26(金) 21:23

Pacific League Rakuten 3-4 Softbank (26th, Rakuten Mobile)

Softbank, who had a magic number of “2” to win the championship, came from behind to win Rakuten. With second-place Nippon-Ham also win, the magic number to win consecutive championships is now “1”. If Softbank win, they will be crowned champions on the 27th.

sacrifice fly The first inning saw Uesawa allow a run-scoring single to left by Voit in the fourth inning, followed by Asamura’s 350th doble hit wall in the middle of the order doble, giving up the second run of the inning. But he corrected perfectly, striking out three in the fifth through seventh innings, and his 7 hit 3 runs innings marked his 12th win, tied for his most in a season.

The Hawks’ batting line, leading the league, pounced on the relief pitchers. Facing starter Kosha, they were silent, allowing only three hit and no runs through the fifth inning. Even so, with the score at 0-3 in the sixth inning and one out and a runner on first, Yanagimachi hit his fifth two-run home run off second-string Chia-Hao Sung, bringing the score to within one point. Then, in the seventh inning, Kondo hit triple off third-string pitcher Nishigaki that hit the center wall fence, bringing the game back to square one. With one out and a runner on third, the Hawks continued to have chances, and Kurihara’s RBI doble down the right field line gave them the lead.

In the 8th inning, Matsumoto Yutaka kept the score at zero, and in the 9th inning, Sugiyama recorded his 29th save, closer him for the league lead. The solid relief corps kept the score at runs, closing out the game.

Related News

・ [Scoreboard] Rakuten vs. Softbank
・ [Softbank] At the end of the 5th inning, they are behind 0-3. If they continue like this, they will not be able to win the championship… Second place Nippon-Ham is leading by 3 points
・ [Softbank] Victory on the 26th as well. Second-place Nippon-Ham loses, magic number is now “2”.
・ [Softbank] Trailing by one point in the seventh inning, Kensuke Kondo and Ryoya Kurihara hit consecutive long hits to turn the game around… a big step towards consecutive league championships
・ [Softbank] Trailing by three in the sixth inning, Tatsuru Yanagimachi hit his fifth two-run home run over the center field fence, saying, “I’m glad it turned out the best way possible.”