2024 Japan Series

Japan Series

vs.

Japan Series (4-2): Yokohama DeNA BayStars (71-69-3, CL) over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (91-49-3, PL)

Introduction

The 2024 Japan Series was the 75thd match-up of the champions of the Central League and Pacific League, Japan's top two circuits.

The Teams

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Managed by Hiroki Kokubo, the Softbank Hawks got 91 wins and easily swept the Nippon Ham Fighters in the 2024 PLCS. They had two elite starters - PL ERA title winner Livan Moinelo (11-5, 1.88) and wins leader Kohei Arihara (14-7 2.36). Young foreign player Carter Stewart (9-4, 1.95) and Ryosuke Ohtsu (7-7, 2.87) were expected to start the other games. Another two foreign pitchers - Darwinzon Hernández (21 HLD, 2.25 ERA) and Roberto Osuna (24 Sv, 3.76 ERA) - were the most important part of their bullpen, and they also had southpaw Kazuki Sugiyama (14 HLD, 1.88) and Shuto Ogata (3 HLD, 2.31 ERA). Two former HR leaders - PL batting title winner Kensuke Kondoh (.314/.439/.521, 19 HR) and RBI leader Hotaka Yamakawa (.247/.318/.484, 34 HR) were the most terrified 1-2 punch in the league, and Ukyo Shuto (.269/.323/.341, 41 SB) led the league in steals.

Yokohama DeNA BayStars

Guided by Daisuke Miura, the BayStars only were two wins over .500. However, they still beat the Yomiuri Giants in the 2024 CLCS, and they were only the second Central League team to advance to the Japan Series as the third seed (the last one was the BayStars in 2017). They lost two important players in the postseason, ace Katsuki Azuma (13-4, 2.16) and his battery partner Yudai Yamamoto, so their rotation needed to rely on foreign pitchers. Andre Jackson (8-7, 2.90) and Anthony Kay (6-9, 3.42) would get most of the starts, and Shinichi Ohnuki (6-7, 2.85) was the other starter they would use. Their closer Kohei Morihara (29 Sv, 2.41 ERA) injured his shoulder in the last round, and Yasuaki Yamasaki (11 HLD, 3.35 ERA), Hiromu Ise (18 HLD, 3.62 ERA) and Yuya Sakamoto (13 HLD, 2.20 ERA) were expected to lead the bullpen in his stead. They had CL batting title winner Tyler Austin (.316/.382/.601, 25 HR) and Shugo Maki (.294/.346/.491, 23 HR), but the rest of the lineup wasn't as solid as those two MVP candidates.

Games

Game 1

October 26 at Yokohama Stadium (33,147)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	9	1
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	9	1

Hawks: Kohei Arihara W (1-0) - Darwinzon Hernández (HLD, 1) - Roberto Osuna

BayStars: Andre Jackson L (0-1) - Hayate Nakagawa - Yuya Sakamoto - Chihaya Sasaki - Yasuaki Yamasaki - Hayato Horioka

Home Runs None

Kohei Arihara dominated the entire game. He completed 7 shutout innings, and he only allowed 4 singles and 2 walks. Andre Jackson struck out 9 in 4 2/3 innings, and he only had trouble in the 2nd inning. He walked Ryoya Kurihara then he gave up a double to Taisei Makihara. Jackson then intentionally walked Takuya Kai to faced Arihara, but the pitcher hit a 2-run single to center field. Both teams were silenced until the 9th inning. Pinch-hitter Hiroki Minei got a leadoff single, Ukyo Shuto added a single then Kenta Imamiya drove in two with a double. Kurihara hit a timely single, and the Hawks were ahead 5-0 now. The BayStars didn't give up. Tyler Austin started their rally with a leadoff double, and Kouki Kajiwara sent him in with a single. Keito Mori then hit a RBI single, and Yoshi Tsutsugo get another single. Osuna forced Masayuki Kuwahara to hit a grounder, but Osuna made an error while throwing to first. DeNA needed a hit to get the win, but Shugo Maki flew out, and the Hawks won the opener.

Game 2

October 27 at Yokohama Stadium (32,953)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	2	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	9	0
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	9	1

Hawks: Liván Moinelo W (1-0) - Shuto Ogata - Darwinzon Hernández - Roberto Osuna S (1)

BayStars: Shinichi Ohnuki L (0-1) - Chihaya Sasaki - Haruhiro Hamaguchi - Hayate Nakagawa - Hiromu Ise

Home Runs

Hawks: Hotaka Yamakawa

The BayStars got as many runs, hits and errors as the day prior - and again the home fans were left empty, as SoftBank cruised again. They got on the board in a hurry against Shinichi Ohnuki. Shuto had a one-out single and Yamakawa launched a two-out homer off a hanging curve. In the third, they padded their lead. Imamiya and Yamakawa both singled then Kurihara drew a walk. After an out, Makihara drove in a pair to make it 4-0. Chihaya Sasaki took over and allowed a sac fly to Kai for a 5-0 score. The Hawks got their final run the next inning, again thanks to Shuto and Yamakawa. Shuto doubled off Haruhiro Hamaguchi and Yamakawa singled him in for his third RBI. That was all they would need.

Moinelo cruised through the first four. In the 5th, the home team got to him. Mori singled then Shion Matsuo whacked a pinch-hit double. Masayuki Kuwahara doubled in both runners. They got their only other run, though, in the 7th. Kuwahara and Kajiwara singled to chase Moinelo in favor of Ogata and Maki greeted him with a RBI double but Ogata, Hernández and Osuna retired the next seven in order to close it up.

Game 3

October 29 at PayPay Dome (36,736)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	4	6	0
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	10	0

BayStars: Katsuki Azuma W (1-0) - Hiromu Ise - Kohei Morihara S (1)

Hawks: Carter Stewart - Ryosuke Ohtsu L (0-1) - Shunsuke Iwai - Jun Maeda - Kazuki Sugiyama - Takehiro Hasegawa

Home Runs

BayStars: Masayuki Kuwahara

After dropping two at home, Yokohama went on the road and took their first win of the Series, despite being outhit by a 10-6 margin. They wasted no time in getting to Stewart as Kuwahara opened the game with a double and Maki had a one-out RBI single. SoftBank struck right back against Azuma in the bottom of the inning. Yuki Yanagita and Kurihara both singled and Kondo delivered a RBI double to tie it. Azuma, Ise and Morihara (back from injury) scattered seven hits the rest of the way while keeping the Hawks off the board. Leadoff sparkplug Kuwahara provided the big hit to open the 5th, taking Ohtsu deep with the winning hit. After Kajiwara singled, Austin and Maki both drew walks and a sac fly by Tsutsugo made it a 3-1 game. They got one insurance run in the 8th against Sugiyama when Toshiro Miyazaki coaxed a walk and Yasutaka Tobashira doubled him home. Yanagita finished with three hits in a losing effort.

Game 4

October 30 at PayPay Dome (36,623)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	5	11	0
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0

BayStars: Anthony Kay W (1-0) - Yuya Sakamoto - J.B. Wendelken

Hawks: Shuta Ishikawa L (0-1) - Shuto Ogata - Shunsuke Iwai - Haru Matsumoto - Hikaru Kimura

Home Runs

BayStars: Tyler Austin, Toshiro Miyazaki

The visitors took their fourth straight game as Yokohama's pitchers and sluggers both put on a fine show. Kay absolutely stifled the top offense in Japan, striking out six of the first nine in three perfect innings. He finished with four hits and seven whiffs in seven shutout frames, with Sakamoto and J.B. Wendelken wrapped up the shutout; the Hawks never got more than one baserunner in any given inning. Shuta Ishikawa matched Kay zero for zero over the first three innings but in the 4th, Austin homered to right. It was the lone blemish for Ishikawa but enough for him to take the loss.

It remained a nail-biter until the 7th when the BayStars offense really made shone. Miyazaki took Shuto Ogawa deep for a 2-0 edge. Kajiwara singled and stole second; with one out, Tobashira drew a walk and Mori singled to load the bases. Shunsuke Iwai relieved and Kuwahara remained hot with a two-run double. After a walk and a strikeout, Austin singled in another run for the final 5-0 margin of victory.

Game 5

October 31 at PayPay Dome (36,636)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	3	7	13	0
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0

BayStars: Andre Jackson W (1-1) - Hiromu Ise - Hayate Nakagawa

Hawks: Tomohisa Ohzeki L (0-1) - Haru Matsumoto - Jun Maeda - Kazuki Sugiyama - Shuto Ogata - Yuki Tsumori - Hikaru Kimura

Home Runs

BayStars: Shugo Maki

The road teams made it 5-for-5 as the BayStars once again had shutout pitching against the top offense of the year, while their batters teed off again. Jackson allowed only 3 hits in 7 shutout innings, striking out 8, and Ise and Hayate Nakagawa closed it out. Tomohisa Ohzeki matched Jackson for two innings but Yokohama went ahead for good in the third. Maki had a leadoff single, Mike Ford added a one-out single and Tsutsugo had a two-out single to bring in Maki. In the fourth, the BayStars showcased the Earl Weaver strategy of the day combining a three-run homer with the strong pitching: Kuwahara and Kajiwara singled off Jun Maeda and Maki drilled the dinger. In the 9th, they tacked on three more to really pull away. Ford and Tsutsugo drew walks and a Tobashira single loaded the bags off Yuki Tsumori. After Kuwahara was plunked to make it 5-0, Hikaru Kimura relieved but Kajiwara greeted him with a two-run double to complete the rout.

Game 6

November 3 at Yokohama Stadium (33,136)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	1
Yokohama DeNA BayStars	0	3	1	0	7	0	0	0	x	11	13	0

Hawks: Kohei Arihara L (1-1) - Shuto Ogata - Carter Stewart - Shunsuke Iwai - Kazuki Sugiyama - Takehiro Hasegawa - Darwinzon Hernández - Yuki Tsumori

BayStars: Shinichi Ohnuki - Haruhiro Hamaguchi - Yuya Sakamoto W (1-0) - Hiromu Ise - Kohei Morihara

Home Runs

Hawks: Yuki Yanagita

BayStars: Yoshi Tsutsugo

Yokohama became the only team to win a home game this Series and in doing so handily became the team with the worst record to win the Japan Series. It was the franchise's first title since 1998. Tsutsugo got things going in the second when he went deep off Arihara. With one out, Tobashira singled and Mori doubled then Kuwahara had a two-out, two-RBI single; he would win the Series MVP as the leadoff man drove in 9 runs. Kuwahara would go 3-for-4 with three RBI today while Tsutsugo would drive in four. The bullpen also was stellar as Hamaguchi, Sakamoto, Ise and Morihara combined to allow one hit in five shutout innings. SoftBank's lone runs came in the fourth when Yanagita hit a two-run shot to dead center off of Ohnuki.