The 2018 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2018'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a

best-of-seven playoff There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Pacific League's (PL) Climax Series champion and defending Japan Series champions, and the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Mat ...

, the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently cons ...

's (CL) Climax Series champion. The Hawks defeated the Carp, 4–1–1, in six games, to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship and their fifth in eight years. The Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place in the Pacific League. They advanced to the Japan Series after defeating the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional Baseball in Japan, baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Figh ...

and the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Climax Series. The Carp finished in first place in the

for the third consecutive year, earning a bye in the first stage of the Climax Series. They defeated the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

in Climax Series to reach the Japan Series. At Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, the Hawks and Carp tied in Game 1, and the Carp won Game 2. The Hawks then won the next four games, including Games 3 through 5 at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome in Fukuoka, to win the series. Takuya Kai won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Climax Series

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place behind the Saitama Seibu Lions, securing them a place as host team for the First Stage of the Climax Series, a best-of-three series against the

. After defeating the Fighters 2–1, SoftBank advanced to the Final Stage where they competed against the PL pennant winning Lions. The series is best-of-six and the Lions were awarded a one-win advantage as well as home field advantage for the entire series. The Hawks defeated the Lions 4–2 to advance to the Japan Series. Since the Climax Series' creation in 2007, it was only the second time a Pacific League team that didn't win the pennant advanced to the Japan Series and only the fourth time between both leagues. For the third year in a row, the

won the

, giving them a First Stage bye and advancing them directly to the Final Stage. They swept the third place

in three games securing them a place in the Japan Series.

Series notes

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the

2017 Japan Series The 2017 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2017'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason. The 68th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the F ...

and defeated the Saitama Seibu Lions in the

2018 Pacific League Climax Series The 2018 Pacific League Climax Series (PLCS) consisted of two consecutive series, Stage 1 being a best-of-three series and Stage 2 being a best-of-six with the top seed being awarded a one-win advantage. The winner of the series advanced to the 20 ...

to return to the Japan Series in 2018. The

won their third consecutive

pennant. They lost in the 2016 Japan Series to the

and lost in the

2017 Central League Climax Series The 2017 Central League Climax Series (CLCS) was a post-season playoff consisting of two consecutive series that determined who would represent the Central League in the Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Seri ...

. During the annual managers' meeting where Japan Series rules are discussed and set, managers Koichi Ogata and Kimiyasu Kudo agreed to announce who their

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

would be the day before each game. Starters are announced early during the regular season, however both teams need to agree to the practice in the Japan Series. Additionally, it was decided that games in the series would only last through 12 innings and if a game was still even after that, it would result in a tie game. Previously, Japan Series games would last through 15 innings before resulting in a tie, however this change brought the series in line with the format used during both the regular season and the Climax Series. For the fifth year in a row,

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and s ...

(SMBC) is sponsoring the event and it is officially known as the "2018 SMBC Japan Series".

Series overview

Game summaries

Game 1

Daichi Osera started Game 1 for the Carp and

Kodai Senga is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut in for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and played for them until . He is a three-time NPB ...

started for the Hawks. Hiroshima scored two runs in the first inning on a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

Ryosuke Kikuchi is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).週刊ベースボール (Weekly Baseball) July 2, 2012 issue p.57 He has the records for most assists (535) and highest fielding ...

and a

run batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBI) single by

Ryuhei Matsuyama is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays outfielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is pri ...

. Osera then went on to strike out six of the first thirteen batters he faced and did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. SoftBank capitalized and scored two in the inning when

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American ...

Alfredo Despaigne drove in a run by singling to second baseman Kikuchi. Kikuchi's throw to first base was off target and resulted in a throwing

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistic ...

that allowed a second runner to score. Both teams had scoring chances during the remainder of the game, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the eleventh inning for the Hawks, but each team's relief pitchers kept the game tied through the twelfth. With the postseason now using the same innings limit as the regular season (after 12 innings instead of 15 in the past), the game ended in a 2–2 tie after twelve innings. This Japan Series tie game was the first since the

2010 Japan Series The 2010 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 2010 season. It was the 61st Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Chiba Lotte Marines, against the Central League champions, the Ch ...

and the first to open a Japan Series since 1986.

Game 2

In Game 2, the Hawks started Rick van den Hurk. For the second straight game, the Carp scored in the first inning. With no

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

, Despaigne was playing left field for only the fifth time all season when leadoff hitter Kosuke Tanaka hit a ball his way. Tanaka was able to stretch a single into a double due to questionable fielding by Despaigne. Tanaka went on to score after a sacrifice bunt moved him to third base and

Seiya Suzuki is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Suzuki is a five-time NPB All-Star, six-time NPB Be ...

' single drove him home. Hiroshima added to their run total when they scored two unearned runs in the third inning. After a throwing error by Keizo Kawashima allowed runners to safely reach second and third base, Yoshihiro Maru drove one in on a

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair ...

while the second run scored on an RBI single by

. In the fifth inning, the Carp scored twice from a two-run single by Suzuki. Hiroshima starter Kris Johnson allowed only one run on four singles and a walk through seven innings. He struck out seven batters. SoftBank's only run of the night came from a Nobuhiro Matsuda RBI single in the seventh inning.

Game 3

With the series moving to

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

for Game 3, the Hawks started Ariel Miranda while the Carp started Aren Kuri. The Hawks scored first; in the fourth inning, Kuri issued two walks and then allowed Akira Nakamura and Kenta Imamiya to each single in a run, giving the Hawks their first lead of the series. After pitching four scoreless innings, Miranda gave up a solo home run to

Tomohiro Abe is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two team ...

, cutting the lead in half. In the bottom half of the same inning, however, the Hawks scored a run scored off of a throwing error by

Alejandro Mejía Alejandro Mejía (born March 10, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and third baseman for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo ...

and scored again after Kuri was taken out of the game. The Carp scored two runs in the next inning, one from a solo home run by Seiya Suzuki. After Akitake Okada retired the first two batters in the bottom half of the inning, three consecutive Hawks' singles gave them another run before Alfredo Despaigne opened up a five-run lead with a three-run home run. A solo home run by Hiroaki Takaya in the seventh inning gave the Hawks just enough runs to fend off a Carp comeback in the eighth inning. Suzuki led off the inning with his second solo home run of the game and then two singles and a walk set the stage for a grand slam by Abe, also his second home run of the game. Hawks reliever Yuito Mori worked a scoreless inning to preserve the win and earn a save. The win was the Hawks' tenth straight victory at home in the Japan Series, dating back to 2011. The Carp lost the game with 16 hits, the biggest number of hits made by the losing team in a single match, although it was also the biggest number of hits ever made in a single match by the Carp in the Japan Series history .

Game 4

The starting pitchers for Game 4 were

Nao Higashihama is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Early baseball career Higashihama pitched in the 3rd grade spring 80th Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament as Okinawa ...

for the Hawks and Yusuke Nomura for the Carp. In the first inning, SoftBank prevented an early lead by Hiroshima when Ryosuke Kikuchi was thrown out at home plate. Kikuchi attempted to score from first base on a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

by Yoshihiro Maru, but was thrown out on a relay throw from center field. Higashihama went on to pitch through five innings and allowed only one run on four hits. The sole run scored by the Carp came from a home run in the fourth inning by Suzuki, his third of the series. Nomura was charged with the loss for the Hawks. He lasted innings and gave up a two-run home run to Seiji Uebayashi in the third and allowed Despaigne to hit his second home run of the series in the fourth. The Hawks closed out their scoring with

Yuya Hasegawa is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder, and current first squad hitting coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks since 2007, wearing number 24 ...

driving in a run with a hit in the sixth inning. With the win, SoftBank extended their consecutive wins-at-home streak in the Japan Series to eleven, breaking the previous record of ten held by the 1970–73

Game 5

Osera and Senga started Game 5, in a rematch of the opening game of the series. For the first time since Game 2, Hiroshima scored first when Tsubasa Aizawa's single scored Ryuhei Matsuyama. SoftBank pulled ahead in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Nakamura and went on to load the bases that same inning, however Osera was able to pitch out of the inning with no further runs being scored. The next inning, Liván Moinelo relieved Senga and promptly gave up a two-run home run to Maru, once again giving the Carp the lead. The Hawks started the bottom half of the same inning with two singles, one of which was upheld on a replay review. After the runners being bunted over to second and third base,

Johnny Hellweg John David Hellweg (born October 29, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball ( ...

was brought out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

to relieve Osera. The next batter,

Yurisbel Gracial Yurisbel Gracial Garcia (born 14 October 1985) is a Cuban baseball player who is a free agent. He played in the Cuban National Series for the Cocodrilos de Matanzas and with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Career Qu ...

, was hit by pitch to load the bases setting the stage to allow a run to score on a groundout by Yanagita. Aizawa broke the tie and gave the Carp the lead in the sixth inning but the Hawks tied it up again in the seventh when Akashi hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Yuki Yanagita won the game with a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

off of Carp closing pitcher

Shota Nakazaki is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He selected . Personal His elder brother is also a professional baseball player currently playing for Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional b ...

. The win extended the Hawks' record-setting home winning streak to twelve, and the Pacific League's home winning streak in the Japan Series to fifteen.

Game 6

The series shifted back to Hiroshima for Game 6. Rick van den Hurk shut out the Carp for six innings. Tetsuro Nishida drove in a run for SoftBank in the fourth inning with a squeeze bunt that scored Yuki Yanagita.

hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Relief pitchers Shota Takeda,

Shinya Kayama is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Professional career In , Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks selected Kayama in the fifth round. 2012–2015 season On Nay 4, 2012, Kayama debuted in the Pacific League against the ...

, and Yuito Mori completed the

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

of the Carp, as SoftBank repeated as Japan Series champs. Hawks'

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

Takuya Kai, who set a Japan Series record with six consecutive caught stealings, won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.

References

{{Hiroshima Toyo Carp Japan Series 2018 Nippon Professional Baseball season Japan Series Japan Series Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Hiroshima Toyo Carp