Yuto Kawamura’s 10th-Inning Homer Gives Hawks 2-0 Japan Series Lead
Yuto Kawamura hit a 10th-inning home run as SoftBank beat DeNA 4-3 in Japan Series Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead after another extra-inning thriller.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Yuto Kawamura hit a go-ahead solo home run in the 10th inning Sunday, October 25, lifting the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 4-3 win over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Game 2 of the 2026 Japan Series. The defending champions head back to Fukuoka with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven final after a second consecutive extra-inning victory.
For Kawamura, the decisive swing was a striking turn in a season in which the outfielder recorded just four hits in 42 regular-season at-bats and no home runs. His blast came after SoftBank had surrendered a late lead and then escaped defeat in the ninth.
Three late home runs decide Japan Series Game 2
SoftBank took control early at Yokohama Stadium. Tomoya Masaki opened the scoring with a solo home run in the third inning, and Yudai Shoji doubled home another run in the fourth. Starter Liván Moinelo backed up the offense with seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out eight.
DeNA overturned that 2-0 deficit in one swing. With two runners aboard in the bottom of the eighth, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo launched a three-run homer to put the BayStars ahead 3-2 and give the home crowd reason to believe the series was about to be tied.
Instead, pinch-hitter Hotaka Yamakawa homered in the ninth to level the score. Kawamura then delivered the winning run with his solo shot in the top of the 10th, and Kazuki Sugiyama finished the game to protect SoftBank’s narrow advantage.
Hawks return home with a familiar 2-0 lead
The result leaves DeNA facing a difficult but familiar situation. In the 2024 Japan Series against these same Hawks, the BayStars lost the first two games before winning four straight to take the championship. Sunday’s finish puts that comeback in the spotlight again, even as SoftBank’s timely hitting has given it control of the opening weekend.
The teams have a travel day Monday. Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, where the Hawks will try to move within one win of another Japan Series title.
