Baseball

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Stay Alive in PL Series

The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighter’s Shu Yamagata celebrates after hitting an RBI triple in the third inning against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Fukuoka on Saturday.

The Japan News

18:35 JST, October 18, 2025

Franmil Reyes went 3 for 4 with a pair of two-run home runs as the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters stayed alive in the Pacific League Climax Series final stage with a 9-3 victory over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Saturday at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka.

The Fighters, who won 6-0 on Friday, now trail 3-2 in the best-of-7 series that started with a one-win advantage for the Hawks by virtue of winning the PL pennant. The Hawks can clinch the series with a win on Sunday; a loss will send the series to a decisive sixth game on Monday.

The winner will advance to the Japan Series and a meeting with the CL champion Hanshin Tigers, who finished up a sweep of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars on Friday.