2025 Pacific League Climax Series

First Round

vs.

Climax Series First Round (2-0): Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (83-57-3, PL No.2 seed) over the Orix Buffaloes (74-66-3, PL No.3 seed)

Overview

The Fighters secured the No. 2 spot of the Pacific League early, and the Orix Buffaloes eliminated the Rakuten Golden Eagles for the third spot in the last week of the season. Fighters had one of the most feared sluggers - homers and RBI leader Franmil Reyes, and they also led the league in homers. Their ace Hiromi Itoh led the league in wins and Ks, and they also had another solid starter, Koki Kitayama. On the other hand, the Buffaloes depended on defense, and they didn't have any 20-homer players. Their ace Hiroya Miyagi was dominant, but their bullpen was a weakness.

The Teams

• Managers: Buffaloes: Mamoru Kishida | Fighters: Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Series results

Game	Score	Date	Pitchers	Time (ET)
1	Orix Buffaloes 0 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2	October 11	Shunpeita Yamashita (0-0) Hiromi Itoh (0-0)	2:00 pm
2	Orix Buffaloes 4 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 5	October 12	Hiroya Miyagi (0-0) Koki Kitayama (0-0)	2:00 pm

Results

Game 1 @ Es Con Field Hokkaido

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Buffaloes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Fighters	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	2	8	1
WP: Hiromi Itoh (1-0), LP: Shunpeita Yamashita (0-1), SV: Yukiya Saito (1)
Home Runs: NPN - Yuya Gunji (1)

• Attendance: 34,165

Hiromi Itoh dominated the entire game, and he completed 7 innings with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks. The Buffaloes had some chances in the 2nd inning and 4th inning, but Itoh retired Taishi Hirooka both times and escaped the jam. Orix's young starter Shunpeita Yamashita also pitched well, but he gave up a double to Yuya Gunji in the 2nd inning, and Chusei Mannami gave the Fighters the winning run with a RBI single. Gunji extended their lead with a solo shot in the 4th inning, and Yamashita completed 6 innings. Seigi Tanaka and Yukiya Saito both pitched a shutout inning, and the Fighters were one win away from advancing to the final stage.

Game 2 @ Es Con Field Hokkaido

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Buffaloes	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	6	0
Fighters	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	X	5	12	0
WP: Kenta Uehara (1-0), LP: Sho Iwasaki (0-1), SV: Yukiya Saito (2)
Home Runs: ORI - Kotaro Kurebayashi (1), Yutaro Sugimoto (1)

• Attendance: 35,024

Orix's slugger Kotaro Kurebayashi greeted Koki Kitayama with a solo shot in the 2nd inning, and the Fighters roared back soon. Shu Yamagata hit a single, Yua Tamiya bunted and Shun Mizutani knocked in the tying run. However, Kitayama struggled again as he gave up a double in the next inning to Kenya Wakatsuki, then Taishi Hirooka added an infield single. Kotaro Kurebayashi then crushed a 3-run shot, and the Buffaloes claimed the lead again. The Fighters didn't give up; Franmil Reyes hit a single in the next inning, Yuya Gunji was plunked and Kotaro Kiyomiya drove in 2 runs with a triple. However, Miyagi then struck out Yamagata, and he retired Tamiya to preserve the one-run lead. In the win or go home game, Orix decided to use another starter Aren Kuri as a long reliever, and he blanked the Buffaloes for 4 innings and setup man Sho Iwasaki succeeded him. Iwasaki struck out the first two batters he faced, but he then surrendered two singles., to Chusei Mannami and Kota Yazawa. Reyes then hit a clutch 2-run single, and the Buffaloes only had one inning to save their season. However, Nippon Ham's closer Yukiya Saito didn't give them any chances, and the Fighters advanced to the final stage for the second consecutive year.

Final Stage

vs.

Climax Series Final Stage (4-3): Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (87-52-4, PL No.1 seed) over the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (83-57-3, PL No.2 seed)

The Teams

• Managers: Hawks: Hiroki Kokubo | Fighters: Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Series results

Game	Score	Date	Pitchers	Time (ET)
1	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 1 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2	October 15	Kota Tatsu (0-0) Livan Moinelo (0-0)	6:00 pm
2	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 0 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 3	October 16	Ren Fukushima (0-0) Kohei Arihara (0-0)	6:00 pm
3	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 6 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 0	October 17	Hiromi Itoh (1-0) Naoyuki Uwasawa (0-0)	6:00 pm
4	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 9 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 3	October 18	Koki Kitayama (0-0) Tomohisa Ohzeki (0-0)	2:00 pm
5	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 7 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 1	October 19	Ruei-Yang Gu Lin (0-0) Ryosuke Ohtsu (0-0)	2:00 pm
6	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 1 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2	October 20	Kota Tatsu (0-0) Livan Moinelo (0-0)	6:00 pm

Results

Game 1 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Fighters	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	9	1
Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	10	2
WP: Koya Fujii (1-0), LP: Shoma Kanemura (0-1)
Home Runs: NPN - Franmil Reyes (2), FKA - Isami Nomura (1)

• Attendance: 40,142

PL ERA leader Livan Moinelo and ROY candidate Kota Tatsu both pitched well. The Hawks loaded the bases in the first inning, but Tatsu forced Taisei Makihara to ground into a double play, and he completed the next 5 innings without allowing a run. Moinelo walked 3 batters in the first two innings, but he still pitched 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. In the 8th inning, Seigi Tanaka replaced Tatsu, but Isami Nomura blasted a solo shot, and the Hawks took the lead. Franmil Reyes then saved his team again, as he crushed a game-tying solo home run against Yuki Matsumoto in the next inning. Southpaw Shoma Kanemura was on the mound for Nippon Ham in the 10th inning, but he walked Ryoya Kurihara, and he intentionally walked Makihara after Akira Nakamura bunted. Kenta Imamiya then hit a single, and Taisho Tamai replaced Kanemura. Last year's PL HR leader, Hotaka Yamakawa, then walked it off with a single, and the Hawks had a 2-0 record (they were given a 1-0 head start due to their better record in the regular season).

Game 2 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fighters	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	X	3	6	0
WP: Yuki Matsumoto (1-0), LP: Ren Fukushima (0-1), SV: Kazuki Sugiyama (1)
Home Runs: FKA - Yuki Yanagita (1)

• Attendance: 40,142

After using Itoh, Tatsu and Kitayama, the Fighters had few choices but to let young Ren Fukushima start in Game 2. Although Fukushima missed most of the season due to injury, he still dominated the game in the first 7 innings. He only allowed 2 hits, and he struck out 10 batters. On the other hand, Softbank's other ace, PL wins leader Kohei Arihara also did his job well and he completed 6 shutout innings. In the 8th inning, though Fukushima had threw more than 110 pitches, Nippon Ham's manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo decided not to change pitchers, but Fukushima gave up a single to Hotaka Yamakawa then walked Hikaru Kawase. Kenta Uehara then relieved Fukushima, but he gave up a game-winning 3-run dinger to Yuki Yanagita. Kazuki Sugiyama closed the door, and the Hawks were a win away from returning to the Nippon Series.

Game 3 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fighters	1	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	6	9	0
Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
WP: Hiromi Itoh (2-0), LP: Naoyuki Uwasawa (0-1)
Home Runs: NPN - Franmil Reyes (3), Shu Yamagata (1)

• Attendance: 40,142

Hiromi Itoh proved why he was the ace of the Fighters. He completely blanked Softbank's lineup, pitching 8 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. On the other hand, Nippon Ham's lineup broke through against their former ace Naoyuki Uwasawa in the first inning. Shun Mizutani hit a leadoff single, Yua Tamiya advanced him with a grounder and Yuya Gunji drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Franmil Reyes then extended their lead with a solo shot in the 4th inning. Uwasawa had other problems in the 7th inning. He gave up a solo shot to Shu Yamagata, then Tatsuki Mizuno added a triple. Uwasawa walked Tamiya and Reyes, then Hikaru Kimura replaced him. However, Kimura gave up a 3-run double to Gunji, and the Hawks now trailed by 6 runs. Sachiya Yamasaki closed the door, and the Fighters finally got the first win of the series.

Game 4 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fighters	0	0	4	2	1	0	2	0	0	9	14	0
Hawks	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	8	0
WP: Koki Kitayama (1-0), LP: Tomohisa Ohzeki (0-1)
Home Runs: NPN - Franmil Reyes 2 (5), Shun Mizutani (1), FKA - Isami Nomura (1)

• Attendance: 40,142

Another ace of the Fighters, Koki Kitayama, dueled with winning percentage leader Tomohisa Ohzeki, but the main character of the game was foreign slugger Franmil Reyes. In fact, Softbank scored first in the first inning thanks to Akira Nakamura's RBI triple, but Shu Yamagata soon answered back with a RBI triple. Reyes then crushed the 3rd homer of the series, and the Fighters didn't stop scoring. Yuya Gunji added a double, Kotaro Kiyomiya singled and Ariel Martinez drew a walk. Haru Matsumoto replaced Ohzeki, but Chusei Mannami knocked in a run with a fly ball. Shun Mizutani crushed a solo homer in the next inning, and Kiyomiya hit a RBI single after Matsumoto walked two batters. In the 7th inning, Reyes blasted the second homer of the game, and the Fighters stayed alive again. Softbank's first baseman Akira Nakamura left in the middle of the game because he collided with the first base umpire.

Game 5 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fighters	0	0	0	3	3	1	0	0	0	7	8	0
Hawks	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	6	2
WP: Sachiya Yamasaki (2-0), LP: Ryosuke Ohtsu (0-1)
Home Runs: FKA - Hotaka Yamakawa (1)

• Attendance: 39,410

Taiwanese phenomenon Ruei Yang Gu Lin was named Nippon Ham's starter despite his not starting a single game since June 3 due to injuries. He pitched 4 2/3 strong innings with 6 Ks, and he didn't allow a single run. On the other hand, Softbank's Ryosuke Ohtsu was broken through in the 4th inning. Kazunari Ishii hit a single, then Ohtsu walked two. When the bases were loaded, first baseman Hotaka Yamakawa (who became the starter because Akira Nakamura was injured) missed Kotaro Kiyomiya's grounder so he couldn't complete the double play, and the Fighters scored the first run. Yua Tamiya then hit a sacrifice fly, followed by a Chusei Mannami single and Kota Yazawa hitting a RBI double. Ohtsu was relieved by Darwinzon Hernández, but he struggled again in the next inning as he also walked two after allowing a single to Shun Mizutani. Kiyomiya then hit a 2-run double, and Tamiya completed a squeeze bunt to help the Fighters extend their lead to 6 runs. Yamakawa hit a solo shot in the 7th inning, but Seigi Tanaka still closed the door and the Fighters tied the series. If the Hawks lost the next game, they would become the first team in NPB history to blow a 3-0 lead in the Climax Series.

Game 6 @ PayPay Dome

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Fighters	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1
Hawks	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	X	2	6	0
WP: Livan Moinelo (1-0), LP: Kota Tatsu (0-1), SV: Kazuki Sugiyama (2)
Home Runs: None

• Attendance: 39,942

It was a rematch of Game 1, and the Hawks scored first, in the 3rd inning. Takashi Umino and Taisei Makihara hit back-to-back singles, and Kota Tatsu forced Ukyo Shuto to hit a grounder to third. However, Kotaro Kiyomiya threw the ball into the outfield, and Umino scored the first run of the game. Softbank's Cuban ace Livan Moinelo was as dominant as the last game, but he allowed a double to Kota Yazawa in the 3rd inning. Yuya Gunji then tied the game with a timely double, and it it was the last hit for the Fighters in this game. Tatsu gave up a leadoff walk to Hotaka Yamakawa in the 5th inning, and he fanned Umino and Isami Nomura but allowed a walk to Makihara. Shuto then hit a grounder to shortstop, but SS Tatsuki Mizuno decided to throw to second, and every runner was safe. Hikaru Kawase then knocked in the game-winning run with a single. Kazuki Sugiyama fanned 2 in a shutout inning to end the game, and the Hawks returned to the Nippon Series.

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