In the second round of the first stage of the Pacific League climax series of professional baseball, Softbank beat Seibu 8 to 2 and decided to advance to the final stage with two wins.

The first stage of the Pacific League's climax series was held at the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka City, where the 2nd round of Softbank and 3rd place Seibu played.

In the 3rd inning with a score of 0 to 0, Softbank had the bases loaded two-out, and No. 4, Yuki Yanagida, hit a home run following the first round and took the lead by 4 points.



The starting pitcher, Kyo Higashihama, kept the runners on his back and closed the key points to keep the 5th inning to 1 point.



Softbank extended their lead by adding one point in the fourth inning and three points in the closing stages.



Softbank beat Seibu 8 to 2 and decided to advance to the final stage with two wins.



Seibu lost in a row with 6 hits and 2 runs in front of Softbank's 5 pitcher relay.



The Pacific League climax series will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka from the 12th of this month, and Softbank will play against Orix, who won the league championship.

Switch to Softbank and demonstrate competitiveness

In the regular season of the Pacific League, Softbank missed the top with the last two consecutive losses on October 1st and 2nd while approaching the magic number "1" to win the "Tragedy of 10.2".



The first round of the Climax Series First Stage will be held on October 8th.



Coach Fujimoto Hiroshi said, "I couldn't shake off the frustration of the final game. I think it will be difficult to switch. I think the players are only thinking about winning. I want to hit the frustration with the whole team." I was hoping for a recovery.



Yuki Yanagida, who was appointed captain this season, changed the atmosphere of the team, which tended to sink.



Regarding the reason for appointing Yanagida as captain, Manager Fujimoto said, ``He is popular and trusted by young players.



Yanagida, who showed his performance as expected by such a commander, scored one run in the third inning of the first game, and then hit a three-run home run from Seibu's ace pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi at second base and third base with two outs. rice field.



Furthermore, in the second game, he hit a home run with the bases loaded with 2 outs in the 3rd inning when the score was 0 to 0, and he took the lead by 4 points at once.



Yanagida performed flawlessly with seven RBIs in two games.



In response to this support, Kodai Senga scored 3 points in the 8th inning in the first game, and Hiroshi Higashihama held down 1 point in the 5th inning in the 2nd game. rice field.



After the final game of the regular season, Yanagida expressed his frustration by saying, "I feel that I am one step short of my current strength. If I had hit more, I think I would have won the championship."



A member who never forgets the frustration of "Tragedy of 10.2".


In order to repel the inferiority against Orix, which has an advantage with one win, it is essential to have a core player who knows the battle of the postseason.



Softbank will play against league champion Orix at Kyocera Dome Osaka on the final stage of the Climax Series, which advanced to the Japan Series from the 12th of this month.

Seibu's powerful pitchers can't show their true potential

Seibu has a strong pitching team with the league's top ERA, but the starting pitchers collapsed in both games, and they were unable to maintain their lead.



The miscalculation was that the starting pitcher in the first game*, Mitsunari Takahashi, and the starting pitcher in the second game, Tatsuya Imai, gave up points in the early stages and were chased in both games.



Pitcher Takahashi served as the opening pitcher for the second time this season, and has grown as an ace with an ERA of 2.20 and 12 wins, ranking second in the league. He's a reliable pitcher, so I'm sure he'll show his true potential."



However, in the critical moment, Softbank's central batter, Yuki Yanagida, hit a three-run homer.



Imai pitched only nine games this season due to injuries, but he pitched well in an important game towards the end of the season and was entrusted with the starting line-up for the second game.



In the 3rd inning, pitcher Imai invited two outs and the bases loaded pinch with two four balls and a dead ball to play against Yanagida, and he was hit by a low breaking ball and allowed home runs in two consecutive games, which quickly decided the game. I was.



Seibu suffered two consecutive losses to Softbank and did not advance to the final stage of the Climax Series, ending the entire schedule for this season.



Seibu's batting average was the lowest in the league this season because the batting line did not improve, and the total score was second from the bottom after the bottom Nippon-Ham.



Even so, the pitchers boasting the league's top team ERA of 2.75, and Hodaka Yamakawa, who won the titles of home run king and RBI king, played a fierce battle for the top ranks, taking the lead at one point.



However, in these two consecutive games, Yamakawa, who is dependable, was limited to one hit with a solo home run, and the other batters were unable to rouse themselves.



Seibu's bullpen had strong relievers such as Yoshinobu Mizukami and Kaiba Taira, who both won the Best Intermediate Award with an ERA of 1 point, but they were good at not taking the lead even once in two games. I couldn't bring it to the winning pattern.



On the other hand, Softbank's key players, such as Yanagida, who hit a three-run home run and a bases-loaded home run in two games and scored seven RBIs, and Kodai Senga, who pitched well in the first game and became the winning pitcher, achieved solid results. I was.



Seibu was unable to demonstrate the fighting style that they have been good at this season in an important game, and it became a form of showing off the strength of the short-term decisive battle to Softbank, which has won 18 consecutive postseason victories.

Softbank Director Fujimoto "I will definitely come back home"

In an interview with the winning manager after the game, Softbank's manager Hiroshi Fujimoto said, "The final game of the season on the 2nd of this month is the last game of the season on the 2nd of this month." All the players are working together to bring the frustration of losing to the Climax Series. I think the results are solid."



On top of that, for the final stage, he said, "I want to win the next stage and go to the Japan Series. Orix has a very good pitching staff. I want to work hard together so that the Hawks' batting lineup can be shown. If we win, we will definitely return to our home, PayPay Dome, in the Japan Series,” he said, showing his determination to break through the final series.

Director Seibu Tsuji "I wanted the first goal"

Hatsuhiko Tsuji, manager of Seibu, who lost, said after the game, "It was too big to score four points in the third inning in a short-term decisive battle. If we lose, it's over, so we really wanted the first point, but we scored first. My biggest regret is that I didn't get the ball. Softbank's Higashihama threw it firmly."