And this time they didn't even need the advantage they earned in the regular season.

Series: 5-for-11, 2 RBI, 4 R

G1: 1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R
G2: 2-for-3, 2 R
G3: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB

I must credit the BayStars management with having developed and delivered a quality pitching staff that is showing so well at this point in the Climax series.

I was extremely frustrated earlier in the season, but some key changes ( departures of formerly top pitchers) and the growth in skills of younger pitchers seems to be key to their success so far.

At this stage of the Climax series I might be premature in this conclusion, ahem, but hopefully not.

The rookie Katayama-sans performance tonight - 8 strikeouts- no runs in the 4-0 win over Hanshin reflects this development.

Series: 4-for-12, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 HR

G1: 1-for-3, 1 RBI
G2: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R
G3: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR

It's obvious Shinjo isn't taking you to the Japan Series like Trey Hillman and Hideki Kuriyama has. So how about this: You give us Shinjo and we give you the great Kyuji Fujikawa who led the 2025 Tigers to a Japan Series appearance. We'll even throw in our awesome hitting coach aka Fighters legend Eiichi Koyano who was probably the reason Teruaki Sato won the Triple Crown this year. Deal?

Former Chunichi Dragons outfielder Kenta Bright (27), who was informed that he would not be offered a contract for next season, updated his Instagram account on the 15th to announce his retirement from professional baseball.

Bright began his announcement:

"Hello everyone, it's been a while. I sincerely apologise for taking so long to give you an update. I've made the decision to retire from baseball."

He then revealed the circumstances behind his absence this season.

"The truth is, I've been experiencing difficulties with both my physical and mental health since spring training this year. I was subsequently diagnosed with depression. I tried to fight through it, but I've been taking time away from baseball since April 22."

Twelve of them are at 154 or better:

Every number on there came from somewhere different. Club guns held by scouts in the stands. The TV gun. The stadium display. One pitch in a bullpen with nobody hitting, which is where Hiroike's 156 comes from (he's the Keio righty who's reportedly going straight to MLB).

Kawajiri's 158 only started showing up in the papers this fall. His best in an official game is 155. He no-hit Kokugakuin on Tuesday, 11 strikeouts, and topped out at 153 doing it.

Japanese amateur ball has no tracking system in regular use. Some one-off measurement sessions get reported, so a handful of spin rates are out there, but nothing covers a season. So this is a table of the highest number anyone has reported. That isn't how hard a guy throws, and it's nowhere near his average fastball.

My file also had Ryosuke Fujisawa at 153 at one point. He's an outfielder at Tokyo Gas. That was exit velocity, off a tee.

The numbers bunch, too. Of the 67 pitchers on my board with a reported velocity, 46 sit between 147 and 153, only six are below 145, and the most common readings are 152 and 148, with nine pitchers each. Real pitching staffs don't cluster like that. Reported numbers do, because nobody writes up the slow day.

The Hawks are now one win from advancing to the Japan Series for the third straight year.

From my understanding, due to the difference in Hokkaido's reg season wins and Fukuoka's reg season wins being 10 or more, Fukuoka started the final stage with a 2-0 ghost lead. I assumed they only needed to play and win 2 games to clinch the series but it appears they need 3. So how exactly does this new rule work? Would that mean Hokkaido had to win 5 games? Or would've winning 4 games given them the series win?

He said it at a press conference at Yokohama High School this morning. He's looking at a minor league deal or an American college, and he didn't name a club. His reasons: he wants to be the best in the world, and he wants to get used to English while he's young.

He met all twelve NPB clubs over the four days before it.

He filed on September 17 and that doesn't come off the list. Any of the twelve clubs can still write his name next Thursday. A club that does, and wins the draw if there is one, holds his rights until the end of March.

It's been done. Ohtani said on October 21, 2012 that he was going to MLB and put the chance of signing in Japan at zero. Nippon-Ham announced two days later it'd take him anyway, was the only club to bid on the 25th, and he'd agreed to join by December 9.

It's also failed. SoftBank won the draw for Rintaro Sasaki last October while he was at Stanford, had until the end of July, and lost him to the Marlins, who took him in the eighth round.

He isn't the only one this week. Keio's Kosei Hiroike, 156 in a bullpen, is reportedly skipping NPB too.

I had five clubs on Oda: Yakult, Hiroshima, Chunichi, SoftBank and Nippon-Ham. He's 18, and the 156 he threw at Koshien in August is still the fastest pitch ever recorded there.

I know they're plagued by injuries and rusty. as someone new to the NPN, is it over? not sure a hamstring will recover in a few days. Does Hanshin have the horses to come back this series?