From our other sites
The story
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks swept their two-game road set in the Japan Series (at Yokohama Stadium). Both games went into tense extra innings, and on 5ch, many commenters noted the games felt evenly matched rather than one-sided blowouts. Discussion centered on the use of Yuto Kawamura — a player who came up through the ikusei (development) system and has struggled badly at the plate in recent years — as well as the rarity of back-to-back extra-inning games, the first such occurrence in 15 years. The talk also spread to the opposing team’s roster strength and comments made by commentator Motonobu Tanishigi.
What people said
Is that really something to mock?
Both games went to extra innings, so it was about even on quality
Actually, if the Central League's 3rd-place team and the Pacific League champion play an even game, doesn't that just mean the Pacific League's level is low?
Even how?
The depth of their rosters isn't even close
So what does that make the two teams that got crushed by the Central League's 3rd-place team…?
If it were the Tigers or Giants, they'd have lost by shutout
Thought it'd be more one-sided than this
Two road wins means it's unstoppable once they're home
Their power numbers jump way up at home
Seen this exact pattern too many times in the games against the Nippon-Ham Fighters
Not winning today was a real gut punch for the RAYS
Hawks fans, fill us in
A player who came up through the ikusei (developmental) system, 5 years in pro ball
The last two years he's been in a brutal batting slump, mostly used as a pinch runner/defensive sub
Only 1 career home run at the top level
That's a whole checklist of things you're not supposed to do in a short series
Forget 'back-to-back appearances' — giving up homers in two straight games is a real problem, he shouldn't pitch again until game 3
Only two games in, but something feels different from '24
Feels more like 2017 since there's so much 'baseball happening' (chaotic, unpredictable plays)
Yamamoto's on a hitting streak like Uchikawa used to be
2024: .268, 1 HR, 14 RBI, OPS .726
2025: .111, 0 HR, 0 RBI, OPS .222
2026: .095, 0 HR, 1 RBI, OPS .255
Fun fact: it's actually Kawamura who pushed Kanbayashi off the roster
Was he just in there for defense or something? Why's a guy with these stats even on the bench?
A coach said something unnecessary and riled everyone up
Because manager Kobukuro burst out laughing watching Higashi pitch
Because Itoh Tsutomu said Kai calling the same pitch over and over wasn't acceptable, and it killed the guy's career
Well, there's like 10 guys like that this year
His batting's trash, but he's played about 100 games this year as a defensive specialist, so he should be fine
Low-key, the only guys who can cover center are Shuto, Makihara, and Kawamura
If Shuto gets hurt, they really need Kawamura
First time seeing that
Probably the most of any NPB stadium
1. Yokohama Stadium (DeNA's home park)
• The stadium where out-of-park homers happen most easily — considered the easiest in Japan to clear entirely
• Reason: the stands slope steeply with high upper decks, but there's no roof like a dome, and the gap between the outfield fence and the stadium's outer wall is short, so a huge blast to right or left can sail straight out into the park beyond (Yokohama Park)
Wasn't the dominant win I expected
Plenty of room for the other side to exploit
If it's this close on the road, it's basically game over once they're home
And with last time in mind, they'll be extra fired up for game 3
Getting the lead taken away and then taking it back again is actually the kind of win that shows the biggest gap in strength
If Kondo, Kurihara, and Yanagita stay cold like this it could be a good game, but yeah, that's probably not happening
They're winning, but it's genuinely a tight series
Apparently it's been 15 years
SoftBank, and Ochiai's final year managing the Dragons
Commentator Tanishigi: 'Has this ever happened before, two straight extra-inning games?'
Play-by-play announcer: 'Apparently it happened in a game you were playing in, Tanishigi-san'
Tanishigi was basically the goat in that game, so it probably just got erased from memory
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Two tense extra-inning games in a row is rare for the Japan Series, and the thread noted it’s the first time in 15 years (the previous instance reportedly came during Hiromitsu Ochiai’s final year managing the Chunichi Dragons). On the use of Yuto Kawamura, whose batting numbers have been poor, commenters pointed out that — alongside Yukyo Shuto and Taisei Makihara — he’s one of the few players who can cover center field, hinting at a reason for his roster spot that the stats alone don’t show. Opinions in the thread split between those who saw an overwhelming gap in ability and those who saw an evenly matched contest, a debate that spiraled into a wider argument about the balance of power between the Pacific League and Central League.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks win two straight wwwwwwwwwwwwww.”
Leave a Reply