From our other sites
The story
On October 3, 2026, the Hanshin Tigers clinched the pennant. Ironically, the Tigers themselves lost their own game that day — the title was only secured when the second-place Yomiuri Giants lost theirs, a so-called “clinched by someone else’s loss” win. Because the pennant was decided on the road, there was no champions’ toss (doage) at the stadium; that celebration is now expected to be held later at the team’s beer-splashing party instead. For manager Koji Fujikawa, it marks the franchise’s first-ever back-to-back championship since he took charge. On 5ch, some posted “I’ve never seen such a lame way to win a pennant,” while others pointed out that similarly messy pennant deciders have happened before — turning the manner of the win itself into the hot topic of debate.
What people said
You get to knock out both at once, what a deal.
Wonder if Fujinami and Yamato will show up too.
Would've been perfect if the Giants-DeNA game had gone to extras before the Giants lost.
Back in the day the Giants clinched on a walk-off loss to Hanshin and still did the champions' toss amid huge excitement.
Nah, there was a real chance of this happening, so they've probably been on standby at the hotel ever since the game ended.
TV media people must be gutted.
And then Hanshin's probably just gonna lose to the BayStars in the playoffs anyway.
So is Hanshin doing the toss now? lol
If the BayStars finish with a losing record it affects their Climax Series advantage, so they can't slack off until they get one more win.
Just want it decided already.
Isn't this one of the lamest pennant deciders in history? Totally kills the hype.
Won't they do the toss at the beer-splash venue instead?
Huh, so they'd never actually won back-to-back before.
Actually, when the Giants won it in 2002, it was even more of a disaster.
lol
For real? They're in Hiroshima?
They're doing it in the lobby of a hotel in Hiroshima.
Saiki's move to the majors just got pushed back a year.
It puts an end to the franchise's losing history in head-to-head pennant races against the Giants.
Joshin's good for that, right? (Joshin Denki, the electronics chain known for big championship discounts)
Either Yakult or Chunichi.
Background and Key Debate Points
So-called “clinched by someone else’s loss” pennant wins aren’t unusual in Japanese pro baseball — commenters in the thread note that the Giants’ 2002 title was decided in a similarly messy way. What stood out this time is that, since the switch to a two-league system in 1950, this is the first time a back-to-back championship has come with the final standings reading “Hanshin 1st, Giants 2nd” — also marking manager Koji Fujikawa’s first repeat title since taking charge. The thread split over whether to call the manner of the win “lame,” or to say the result is all that matters regardless of how it happened. Note that because the pennant was clinched on the road, there was no champions’ toss at the stadium; that ceremony is expected to be held separately at the team’s beer-splashing party. It’s an easy point to mix up: the moment a pennant is clinched and the toss/beer-splash celebration don’t necessarily happen at the same place or on the same day.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Breaking] Hanshin Tigers Clinch Pennant Tonight.”
Leave a Reply