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The story
Central League champions Hanshin have lost Game 1 of the Climax Series (CS) Final Stage to DeNA. Held to a mere 3 scattered hits by DeNA starter Taira, Hanshin’s 1-through-4 hitters went hitless in a stunning result. Taira joined DeNA as player compensation when Shun Yamaguchi left for the Giants, and after this gem of a start, some fans say DeNA has ‘gotten its money’s worth.’ Over on 5ch’s ‘Nandemo Jikkyo G’ board, reactions poured in from every angle — criticism of manager Fujikawa’s bullpen management and in-game calls, a pinch-hitting decision that backfired, and even renewed debate over the CS format that lets a third-place team advance.
What people said
More games means more money rolling in, so it's fine.
This thread only pops off when some team other than Hanshin loses and the Hanshin crowd (derided here as '珍カス') gets to gloat and feel superior.
Feels like we already got past that phase back in 2024.
Besides, there's no way they're scrapping the CS at this point — too much money riding on it.
If anything, maybe just give the CS a different name, let the regular season stand complete on its own, and rebrand the CS as something like a 'Cup' tournament?
The league season as qualifiers,
the CS as the main tournament,
the Japan Series as the championship round.
That's so lame, lol
Nothing's broken.
Hanshin just doesn't know how to play short-series ball.
This year especially, they're the textbook 'regular-season king' who folds in the playoffs.
Pinch hitter Kinami struck out with a chance to score → then an error on defense right after.
Shut them down exactly the way the data said he would.
That's 'AI-Kawa' for you (a nickname poking fun at a stats/data-obsessed figure).
so isn't it rough for them if they don't win tomorrow and the day after?
Yokohama's back-end rotation isn't exactly great either, you know.
Kind of curious what happens when SoftBank gets fired up for revenge.
Though Kokubo can just keep quiet.
They've had more rest between games too — this whole setup is messed up.
I really don't want to see a farce like the Pacific League's CS, though.
Historically nobody but the Giants has really struggled with this, so there's not much complaining about it.
If they hadn't been coasting down the stretch, their advantage would've been bigger, right?
They've more than gotten their money's worth.
Yamaguchi did well too, though.
Figured Taira would do even more by now, but injuries happen — can't help that.
Hanshin was the one who advanced last year, though.
Did you lose your memory or something, lol
Both teams, or honestly the whole Central League, just seem weak this year.
There was a team that went into the Japan Series in easy-win mode and lost to Yokohama, remember?
You can tell from interleague play — SoftBank massacres everybody, Hanshin included, so it doesn't matter who it is.
That'd be entertaining in its own way — Yokohama pulling off some dumb, chaotic win feels plausible too.
But Hanshin vs. SoftBank would give Hanshin zero chance — just a drawn-out, one-sided beatdown that turns into a dud of a series.
Remember the final game last year, when some random reliever got hammered and was straight-up crying on the mound…
What is this, Nasukawa Tenshin (the kickboxer famous for sobbing after a loss)? Come on, lol
They're the third-place team, so losing is to be expected.
Winning would just be a bonus.
Background and Key Debate Points
The Climax Series (CS) was introduced in 2007 as a format giving the regular-season first-place team an edge in reaching the Japan Series. This time, first-place Hanshin hosted third-place DeNA in Game 1 of the Final Stage, and from the very start DeNA starter Taira held them to just 3 scattered hits, with the 1-through-4 hitters going hitless. The thread split over whether the loss was down to ‘problems with bullpen management and strategy’ or ‘the lineup simply got shut down’ — complaints about manager Fujikawa’s handling coexisted with praise for Taira’s pitching. Debate also kept resurfacing, as it does every year, over the fairness of a format that lets a third-place team knock off the top seed and reach the Japan Series; but as commenters in the thread note, Hanshin itself has advanced from third place before, and lower-seeded upsets have become common in recent years. The annual argument over the CS format’s fairness is a seasonal fixture at this time of year, and it’s worth remembering it doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual talent gap shown in this one loss.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Hanshin Carelessly Drops Game One“.
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