Daiki Asama Leads Fighters to First NPB Farm Championship in 29 Years
Daiki Asama earned MVP honors as the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters beat Yomiuri 5-2 to win their first NPB farm championship in 29 years.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters defeated the Yomiuri Giants 5-2 on Sunday, October 4, to win the 2026 NPB Farm Championship at Shizutetsu Stadium Kusanagi in Shizuoka. The victory gave the Fighters their second farm title and their first in 29 years, while making them the first champions under Japanese baseball’s new three-region farm system.
- Final: Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 5, Yomiuri Giants 2
- Championship MVP: Daiki Asama
- Key hit: Asama’s two-run single in the fourth inning
- Historic note: Nippon-Ham’s first farm championship since 1997
Asama delivers throughout championship weekend
Daiki Asama completed an outstanding two-game tournament with two hits and two RBIs in the final. His biggest swing came in the fourth inning, when he lined a two-run single to right field and extended the Fighters’ lead to 4-0.
The veteran outfielder had already carried Nippon-Ham through Saturday’s semifinal against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He collected three hits and drove in the winning run with a walk-off hit, giving him five hits and three RBIs across the championship weekend.
That production earned Asama the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. Kazuki Miyazaki of the Fighters and Reito Nakayama of the Giants were named the outstanding players.
Fighters build an early lead and protect it
Nippon-Ham opened the scoring in the first inning when Miyazaki’s ground ball brought home the first run. Kane Edopolo doubled the advantage with a solo home run in the third before Asama’s two-run single created separation.
Yomiuri cut the deficit to 4-2 in the fifth on Nakayama’s two-run single, but Daigo Kamikawabata answered in the bottom half with an RBI single. The Fighters finished with 11 hits and did not commit an error.
Starter Kotaro Yamashiro struck out five while allowing three hits over three scoreless innings. Nippon-Ham then used six relievers to finish the game. Towa Yokoyama earned the win with two shutout innings, and Naoya Tamai retired the Giants in order in the ninth for the save.
Nippon-Ham becomes first champion of new format
The 2026 season was the first played under a single farm league divided into East, Central and West regions. The three regional winners and the second-place club with the best winning percentage advanced to a four-team championship tournament.
Nippon-Ham entered as the East Region champion, eliminated SoftBank in the semifinal and then stopped Central Region wild card Yomiuri in the final. Manager Atsunori Inaba was lifted five times by his players after the last out and said the club’s shared desire to win had driven the title run.
