Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Bag 1st Title in Japan’s Pacific League in 4 Years 

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:54 JST, September 24, 2024

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched the Pacific League pennant for the first time in four years by defeating the Orix Buffaloes 9-4 on Monday night at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

This was the 20th league championship for the franchise, including its predecessors the Nankai Hawks and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.

Hiroki Kokubo, the 52-year-old manager, led the team to the crown in his first year in charge.

Before Monday’s game against the Buffaloes, the Hawks had dropped their magic number to win the PL title to one.

The team marched through the summer without relinquishing the top spot in the standings after April 4. SoftBank saw its magic number first pop up as early as July 30.

From August on, the Hawks persevered through rough times because of injuries to key player and other hurdles, but forged ahead to capture the pennant.