Alexander Canario’s Walk-Off Homer Lifts Seibu in Climax Series Opener

Alexander Canario hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning on Saturday, lifting the Saitama Seibu Lions to a 3-2 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series First Stage at Belluna Dome.

Canario attacked a breaking ball from left-hander Haruki Hosono with nobody out and drove it into the left-field seats. The swing ended a tense playoff opener and moved second-seeded Seibu one win from the Final Stage.

Canario settles a game that kept turning

Taiga Hirasawa gave the Lions an immediate lead with a solo home run in the first inning, but Nippon-Ham answered in the fourth. Taiki Narama turned on a Kaima Taira fastball for a two-run homer, putting the Fighters ahead 2-1.

Seibu pulled even in the fifth after Shinya Hasegawa reached on a bunt and advanced into scoring position. Manaya Nishikawa followed with an RBI single, one of his two hits in the game.

From there, the bullpens controlled the afternoon. Yuta Kuroki, Hibiki Shinohara, Ryosuke Moriwaki, Hiroshi Kaino and Taishi Mameda combined for five scoreless innings behind Taira. Mameda needed only six pitches to retire the Fighters in order in the top of the 10th, setting the stage for Canario.

Seibu’s bullpen finishes what Taira started

Taira allowed two runs on six hits and three walks over five innings, striking out eight on 105 pitches. Nippon-Ham starter Kohei Arihara gave up two runs on five hits across five innings, with five strikeouts and one walk.

The Fighters did not record a hit after the sixth inning. Their best late chance came in the ninth, when Kaino issued a leadoff walk before retiring the next three batters to force extras.

Canario then ended it with one swing, delivering Seibu’s first win of the 2026 postseason and turning Sunday’s Game 2 into a potential clincher. Kona Takahashi is scheduled to start for the Lions as they try to advance to the Pacific League Final Stage.