The Hanshin Tigers have strengthened their grip on the Central League with consecutive walk-off victories, while the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks remain firmly in control of the Pacific League despite a dramatic series against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Thursday's afternoon game at ES CON Field ended in a 5-5, 12-inning tie, with Ryoya Kurihara hitting his Pacific League-leading 33rd home run.
Hanshin Tigers win back-to-back walk-offs to protect Central League lead
The Hanshin Tigers have produced the defining Central League results of the week so far, defeating the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in consecutive one-run games at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
On Tuesday, August 18, Hanshin entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 2-1 before Teruaki Sato and Yusuke Ohyama hit consecutive solo home runs, giving the Tigers a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory. Sato's homer was his 29th of the season and Ohyama's his 14th.
Hanshin followed that performance with another walk-off on Wednesday. Yakult carried a 1-0 advantage into the bottom of the ninth, but the Tigers tied the game before winning 2-1 in the tenth. Sato drove in one run and Ohyama another, while Chikamoto collected three hits. Yakult starter Taichi Yamano deserved particular credit despite the loss, throwing eight scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts.
The two victories moved Hanshin to 61-46-1 (.570) through August 19, four games ahead of the Yomiuri Giants. Hanshin's position is reinforced by some of the strongest individual numbers in the league. Sato entered Thursday batting .316 with 29 home runs and 81 RBI, while teammate Shota Morishita also had 29 homers. Takumu Nakano ranked third in the Central League batting race at .285.
Hanshin also owns the top two qualified ERAs in the Central League. Shoki Murakami leads at 1.87, followed by Haruto Takahashi at 1.93, giving the Tigers a significant pitching foundation for the final stretch of the pennant race.
DeNA take two from Yomiuri as Giants lose ground
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars have also opened the week 2-0, dealing a significant blow to second-place Yomiuri.
Tuesday's opener ended 4-3 after DeNA scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Yomiuri had tied the game in the eighth, but the BayStars responded immediately to secure the walk-off victory.
Wednesday was dominated by pitching. Katsuki Azuma threw seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits without issuing a walk, as DeNA beat Yomiuri 1-0. Azuma improved to 10-5, while reliever Hamachi worked a clean eighth and Reynolds recorded his 10th save. DeNA's only run came through an RBI from Encarnacion. Yomiuri starter Haruto Inoue also pitched well, allowing one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts, but fell to 10-7.
Those two losses left Yomiuri at 57-50-2 (.533) and four games behind Hanshin through Wednesday. DeNA stood third at 50-56-3 (.472), 10.5 games behind the Tigers.
Hiroshima sweep first two games from Chunichi and climb out of last place
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp have generated the biggest movement at the bottom of the Central League standings.
Hiroshima exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning Tuesday to turn a competitive game into an 11-4 victory over the Chunichi Dragons. The Carp finished with 15 hits. Ryosuke Kikuchi homered during the decisive inning, while Shogo Sakakura also went deep. Chunichi's Sano provided the opposition's biggest offensive performance with two home runs, giving him 17 for the season.
The Carp won again Wednesday, 4-1. Sandro Fabian hit his 16th homer, a two-run shot in the first inning, while Mochimaru added his sixth. Hiroshima's pitching staff held Chunichi to one run despite allowing 10 hits, and Daichi Moriura collected his 15th save.
The consecutive victories pushed Hiroshima to 42-58-4 (.420), narrowly above Chunichi at 46-64-1 (.418). The margin is tiny, but it moved the Carp into fifth place entering Thursday's third meeting.
SoftBank remain on top after wild Fighters series
The Pacific League's most important series this week has been played at ES CON Field, where first-place Fukuoka SoftBank and third-place Hokkaido Nippon-Ham have traded momentum.
SoftBank opened the series Tuesday with a convincing 7-1 win. Livan Moinelo earned the victory, while Nippon-Ham ace Hiromi Itoh dropped to 8-8. Tomoya Masaki hit his 20th home run and SoftBank finished with 14 hits. Franmil Reyes supplied the Fighters' only run with his 26th homer.
Wednesday produced one of the most dramatic Pacific League games of the season. SoftBank built a 6-0 lead, but Nippon-Ham stormed back. Imagawa hit a three-run homer in the fifth before Tatsuki Mizuno launched a grand slam in the seventh, his 11th home run of the year. After SoftBank forced extra innings, the Fighters won 8-7 in the tenth.
Thursday's series finale finished 5-5 after 12 innings. Masaki hit his 21st homer for SoftBank and Ryoya Kurihara crushed his 33rd home run, a grand slam in the eighth inning. Nippon-Ham answered with home runs from Kotaro Kiyomiya, his 13th, and James Nomura, his 15th. The teams combined for 21 hits before the game ended in a draw.
The result means SoftBank leave the three-game series with a 1-1-1 record rather than allowing Nippon-Ham to make a major dent in the standings.
Through August 19, SoftBank stood 68-40-1 (.630), 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Saitama Seibu Lions and 7.5 ahead of Nippon-Ham. Thursday's tie added another draw to both SoftBank and Nippon-Ham without changing either club's winning percentage.
Kurihara's Thursday grand slam also extended his Pacific League-leading total to 33 home runs. Entering the day, he had 32 homers and 86 RBI. Kensuke Kondoh had a .310 average and 89 RBI, while Nippon-Ham's Reyes led qualified Pacific League hitters at .316 with 26 homers.
Seibu strengthen second place with consecutive wins over Orix
The Saitama Seibu Lions continue to apply the most credible pressure on SoftBank.
Seibu defeated Orix 7-4 on Tuesday, using a six-run fourth inning to take control. Kaima Taira improved to 9-3 and Hiroshi Kaino recorded his 16th save. Alexander Canario hit his 11th home run.
Wednesday's contest was much tighter. Orix carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Seibu scored twice to win 3-2, with Tyler Nevin hitting his 17th home run during the comeback. Orix closer Andres Machado was charged with both runs and his first loss of the season.
Seibu consequently entered Thursday at 62-47-3 (.569), 6.5 games behind SoftBank and one game ahead of Nippon-Ham in the standings. The Lions also possess the Pacific League's two lowest qualified ERAs: Kona Takahashi at 2.45 and Chihiro Sumida at 2.48.
Rakuten take two from Lotte despite last-place position
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles have opened their home series against the Chiba Lotte Marines with two victories.
Rakuten won 6-2 on Tuesday, with Kosei Shoji improving to 6-9. Ryosuke Tatsumi hit his 10th home run and Hikaru Ohta added his third. Lotte's Hisanori Yasuda — correction: the scoring record credits Yamaguchi with his 21st homer — accounted for both Marines runs with a first-inning shot.
Rakuten followed with a 5-2 victory Wednesday behind Takayuki Kishi, who improved to 4-3. Horiuchi hit his first home run of the season, while Lotte's Yamaguchi homered again in the ninth for No. 22.
Despite the two wins, Rakuten remained sixth in the Pacific League at 43-63-1 (.406) through August 19. Lotte stood fifth at 48-55-3.
NPB results this week through August 20
| Date | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 18 | DeNA vs. Yomiuri | DeNA 4-3 |
| Aug. 18 | Hanshin vs. Yakult | Hanshin 3-2 |
| Aug. 18 | Hiroshima vs. Chunichi | Hiroshima 11-4 |
| Aug. 18 | Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank | SoftBank 7-1 |
| Aug. 18 | Rakuten vs. Lotte | Rakuten 6-2 |
| Aug. 18 | Seibu vs. Orix | Seibu 7-4 |
| Aug. 19 | DeNA vs. Yomiuri | DeNA 1-0 |
| Aug. 19 | Hanshin vs. Yakult | Hanshin 2-1 (10) |
| Aug. 19 | Hiroshima vs. Chunichi | Hiroshima 4-1 |
| Aug. 19 | Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank | Nippon-Ham 8-7 (10) |
| Aug. 19 | Rakuten vs. Lotte | Rakuten 5-2 |
| Aug. 19 | Seibu vs. Orix | Seibu 3-2 |
| Aug. 20 | Nippon-Ham vs. SoftBank | 5-5 (12 innings) |
NPB had no regular-season games scheduled on Monday, August 17. Official NPB results confirm the complete August 18 and August 19 slates, while the Fighters' official game report confirms Thursday afternoon's 5-5 tie.
NPB standings picture entering the rest of August 20
In the Central League, Hanshin's combination of late-game execution, league-leading power and elite starting pitching continues to separate the Tigers from their challengers. Yomiuri's two defeats in Yokohama have increased the pressure on the Giants, while DeNA are trying to establish themselves as the strongest team in the race for third. Hiroshima's two wins over Chunichi have also changed the picture at the bottom of the table.
The Pacific League remains SoftBank's to lose. The Hawks own the best record in NPB and have an offense featuring Kurihara, Kondoh and Yuki Yanagita, but Seibu continue to stay within striking distance behind one of the league's strongest rotations. Nippon-Ham's comeback on Wednesday demonstrated that the Fighters remain dangerous, although their poor 4-15 head-to-head record against SoftBank through August 19 remains a major obstacle in the pennant race.
With six games on Thursday's schedule and five night contests following the completed SoftBank-Fighters draw, the standings can still move before August 20 is complete. The week's early results, however, have already strengthened Hanshin's position in the Central League and preserved SoftBank's substantial advantage in the Pacific League.
