A complete game performance by ace Kento Okazaki powered Osaka Momojiro’s 2-1 win against Mie Verduin, in eight innings, in the final of the Japanese Men’s Softball League, giving his team the second title in the history of the organisation.
After entering the playoffs as the fourth seed, Osaka Momojiro surged through the postseason to their first championship since 2009.
In the only game of the first round of playoff games, Osaka staged a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Sanda Matsumoto’s walk-off single to seal a 4–3 victory.
In the second round before the semifinals, Okazaki was nearly untouchable, striking out 12 in a 4–0 shutout over JTEKT.
The right-hander followed up with another stellar outing in the semifinals against top-ranked Hirabayashi Kinzoku, fanning 11 batters in a 1–0 win highlighted by a Matsumoto solo homer in the first inning.
The final against Mie Verduin proved to be a tense battle. After the teams traded runs early, the game went into extra innings tied 1–1. In the eighth, a wild pitch followed by an errant throw allowed the tiebreak runner to score from second, putting Osaka ahead 2–1. Okazaki — pitching his fourth consecutive complete game — retired the side in order to close out the victory in front of ecstatic home fans.
Pitcher Kento Okazaki was the undisputed MVP, throwing 484 pitches across four complete games and 29 innings, while recording double-digit strikeouts in every appearance.
Japanese Men’s Softball League Playoffs Results
First Round:
Osaka Momojirō – 4
Kochi Pacific Wave – 3
Second Round:
Osaka Momojirō – 4
JTEKT – 0
Semifinal 1:
Mie Verduin – 8
Heirin Metal – 1
Semifinal 2:
Heirin Metal – 0
Osaka Momojirō – 1
Final:
Osaka Momojirō – 2
Mie Verduin – 1
AloJapan.com