Last year, the Hanshin Tigers topped the Central League with an overwhelming performance. They recorded 85 wins, five draws, and 53 losses and a 616-win percentage, beating the runner-up Hiroshima Carp by 11.5 games. The Yokohama BayStars finished third, 0.5 games behind Hiroshima, and the Yomiuri Giants followed them by 3.5 games.
Hanshin was strong in fall as well. He passed the climax series to move on to the Japan Series. He beat Orix Buffaloes, No. 1 ranking in the Pacific League based in the same Kansai region, with four wins and three losses to lift the trophy. He topped the list for the first time in 38 years following 1985.
Akinobu Okada has won both titles as a central hitter and as a head coach. He displayed the best results in his first year as a coach for the second time.
On the other hand, Yomiuri, which only finished in the B-class (4th to 6th place out of 6 teams) for the second consecutive year, changed its head coach at the end of the season. Coach Tatsunori Hara, who was leading the team for the third time, stepped down, and Chief Coach Shinoske Abe took over the baton.
The figure was similar to last year’s two years ago in 2022. Yakult Swallows beat Yokohama by eight games in second place. They confirmed their No. 1 ranking early on. This season, Yakult’s “Monetaka Murakami” hit 56 home runs and became the youngest player to win three gold medals at the age of 22.
This year, the atmosphere is very different from last year. There is a fierce competition for rankings until the end of the season, which is about to end the pennant race.
As of Tuesday, only 4.5 games have passed from the top-ranked Yomiuri to the fourth-ranked Yokohama. Hiroshima is chasing Yomiuri by one game, and Hanshin is chasing Hiroshima by 1.5 games. The gap between the first and third-ranked teams is 2.5 games. The rankings can change instantly depending on consecutive wins and losses among the three teams.
Yokohama is trailing Hanshin. It is a two-game difference. Up to the third-ranked team in each league, the Japanese pro baseball league will play in the postseason “Climax Series.” Yokohama is also in a position to aim for autumn baseball.
There will be a battle over the top and bottom rankings. 메이저놀이터
Yomiuri has won seven games (four losses) in its past 11 games, dragging down Hiroshima. Having maintained the lead, Hiroshima had lost five games (one win) in its past six games. After losing five consecutive games, Hanshin was caught by the Yakult on Sunday.
The Central League will hold seven consecutive games from Thursday. The Yomiuri Giants will play three consecutive away games against Hiroshima. The series could be a watershed moment in their race to become the champion.
Tomoyuki Sugano, the Yomiuri Giants’ ace who is leading the team in multiple wins on the first day, will start the game. He took the mound in nine days after pitching seven scoreless innings against the Hanshin Tigers on Sept. 1. Masato Morishita, who has won 10 games, is the starting pitcher for Hiroshima.
The Yomiuri Giants will then play two consecutive games against the Yakult and Chunichi Dragons, respectively. Hiroshima will hold three consecutive games against the Yomiuri Giants and two against Hanshin and Yokohama. It seems like a must-win final every season.
The Yomiuri Giants had eight wins, three draws and eight losses against Hiroshima this year. They had nine wins, one draw and eight losses against Hanshin and Yokohama.
The Yomiuri Giants have 19 games to play, Hiroshima 22 games, Hanshin 16 games and Yokohama 22 games to play. The final stop is ahead.
Meanwhile, the Pacific League, where the Softbank Hawks have virtually confirmed their victory, is hotly contested for third place under the second-place Nippon-Ham Fighters. The fourth-place Rakuten Eagles are chasing the third-place Chiba Lotte Marines by 2.5 games.
