Steelers Clinch a Spot in the Japan Rugby League One Playoffs
Inoke Burua of the Kobelco Kobe Steelers scores a first-half try against the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars on April 26, 2025, in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. (©KYODO)
The Japan Rugby League One playoff picture is nearly complete.
With a 59-33 triumph over the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars on Saturday, April 26, the Kobelco Kobe Steelers (9-7) clinched a postseason berth, becoming the fifth team to secure a spot in the six-team playoffs.
In the Steelers' high-scoring victory, head coach Dave Rennie's squad chalked up nine tries. Fijian Inoke Burua set the tone for the team with two tries in the early going, giving the Steelers a 12-0 lead in the 13th minute.
The Dynaboars trailed 24-7 at halftime at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. The Steelers' Atsushi Hiwasa scores a second-half try. (KYODO)
That 17-point cushion gave the Steelers a big boost, though they also outscored the Dynaboars 35-26 in the second half.
The League One regular season wraps up on May 11.
Before the playoffs kick off, Kobe faces the Yokohama Canon Eagles on Sunday, May 4 and the Shizuoka BlueRevs on May 10. Kobelco Kobe Steelers players wave to the cheering crowd after their playoff-clinching win on April 26 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium. (KYODO)
Which teams have already secured spots in the League One playoffs?
The Saitama Wild Knights, Kubota Spears and reigning champion Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, all of whom have 13-1-2 records, are playoff-bound, as are the BlueRevs (11-0-4).
That leaves one playoff berth still up for grabs. Tokyo Sungoliath (6-2-7, 31 points) and the Eagles (6-0-9, 30 points) are the leading candidates. Masaaki Koyama in a June 1966 file photo. (©SANKEI)
Legendary pitcher Masaaki Koyama, a 2001 inductee into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, passed away on April 18 from heart failure. He was 90.
The Hanshin Tigers, for whom he played and coached across five decades, announced his death on Thursday, April 24.
Koyama made his NPB debut in 1953 and he pitched his final game in '73. In between, he was one of the most accomplished pitchers in Japan, compiling an overall record of 320-232. (He's still third on NPB's all-time wins chart.)
A 183-cm right-hander, Koyama pitched for the Osaka/Hanshin Tigers from 1953-63, making his pro debut at age 18. Masaaki Koyama in 1962. (©SANKEI)
Koyama won 20 or more games seven times in his career. He did it three seasons in a row with the Tigers, going 24-12 with a 1.69 ERA in 1958, followed by 20-16 and 25-19 records in '59 and '60.
In his final season with the Tigers as a pitcher ― he later served as a Hanshin coach from 1974-75, 1982-83 and 1998 ― Koyama had an outstanding campaign in 1962. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award, finishing with a 27-12 record and a 1.66 ERA in 352⅔ innings with 26 complete games and 13 shutouts and struck out an NPB-best 270 batters.
In 1964, Koyama joined the Pacific League's Tokyo Orions (later known as the Lotte Orions during his playing days and now called the Chiba Lotte Marines). And he had a career-best year with his new team, posting a 30-12 record and leading the NPB in wins. He went 20-20 and 20-13 over the next two seasons.
Koyama played for the Orions until the end of the 1972 season.
In 1973, Koyama pitched in his final season, returning to the Central League and finishing with a 4-4 record in 15 appearances for the Taiyo Whales (now the Yokohama DeNA BayStars). He retired at age 39. Masaaki Koyama in 2012. (KYODO)
In 856 NPB games, including 583 starts, Koyama logged 4,899 innings on the mound. He struck out 3,159 batters, which still places him third all-time in NPB. He issued only 978 walks. Based on his impressive command of his pitches, he was referred to as the "Pitching Precision Machine."
"Koyama-san had amazing control," former Tigers teammate Gene Bacque said in Remembering Japanese Baseball: An Oral History of the Game (2005, Southern Illinois University Press). "He could pinpoint a ball. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed watching him and tried to imitate him to get more control."
Added Bacque, "He won a lot of games and probably could have pitched in the majors." Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki smacks a double in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 25 at Wrigley Field. (KYODO)
Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki, now in his fourth season in the majors, drove in 74 runs in 2023 and 73 in '24 while appearing in 138 and 132 games, respectively.
The former Hiroshima Carp star has played in 24 of the Cubs' first 28 games in the 2025 MLB season (through Saturday, April 26). And he's had a productive start on offense with a .292 batting average, six homers and 23 RBIs. He also has five doubles and a triple.
Suzuki is well on pace to surpass his MLB career-high total in RBIs. After smacking 21 homers in 2024, he also looks poised to rewrite his personal MLB record in round-trippers this season.
In Chicago's 4-0 home victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Suzuki hit two doubles in five at-bats. He was 2-for-4 with three RBIs a day later in the Cubs' 10-4 loss.
Although he was sidelined for a few days in mid-April with a right wrist injury, Suzuki returned to the lineup on April 16 and had at least one hit in five of his next six games.
In early April, Cubs manager Craig Counsell praised Suzuki's ability as a game-changing presence on offense.
"He has the power to hit home runs anywhere," Counsell told a news conference. MLB NOTES | Shota Imanaga Off to Impressive Start in 2025 Yokohama B-Corsairs head coach Lassi Tuovi watches his team play against the San-en NeoPhoenix on April 23 at Yokohama Buntai. (B.LEAGUE)
After the Yokohama B-Corsairs' 82-77 defeat to the visiting San-en NeoPhoenix on Wednesday, April 23, B-Corsairs head coach Lassi Tuovi spoke about the turning point in the game. And the first-year bench boss said his team needs to improve in high-pressure situations.
"When you give up 27 points to the other team in the fourth quarter, you don't feel happy," Tuovi said after his team fell to 23-33.
The NeoPhoenix's 12-0 scoring run gave them a 77-65 advantage with 3:33 remaining en route to their 45th win in 55 games during the 2024-25 B.League season.
One of the keys to San-en's success this season, Tuovi observed, is that "[they] know that whatever happens, how to lock the game and come back. It's impressive, that's why they are one of the best teams."
He continued: "But we need to learn from that. We were three times able to play for the win against [the NeoPhoenix], two times on the road (including a 95-92 loss on March 5) and today, but we couldn't win any. So we need to also be realistic that we are there, that we can challenge. But we need to develop a lot together to then one day win [against] these bigger teams."
In other B.League news, the Western Conference champion Ryukyu Golden Kings (44-13) extended their winning streak to 16 with a 97-82 decision over the Shimane Susanoo Magic on Saturday. Keve Aluma paced the Golden Kings with 20 points. ODDS and EVENS | Ryusei Sasaki Raises Game to Greater Heights
After evening their NBA first-round (best-of-seven) series against the Minnesota Timberwolves at one win apiece on Tuesday, April 22, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 3, losing 116-104 on Friday in Minneapolis. LeBron James led the Lakers with 38 points. Teammate Rui Hachimura scored eight and pulled down four rebounds in 38 minutes.
Minnesota outscored LA 30-20 in the decisive fourth quarter. Mao Saigo hits a tee shot in the first round of The Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas, on April 24. (Erik Williams/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
In The Woodlands, Texas, golfer Mao Saigo was tied for first after the third round of The Chevron Championship on Saturday, April 26. Saigo carded a 2-under 70 and then shot a 68 and a 69 in successive rounds. That gave her a 9-under 207. South Korea's Haeran Ryu also held a share of the lead heading into the final round of the LPGA Tour event.
"Today I hit my shots really well," Saigo told reporters on Friday, "so I was able to put my ball on birdie chances." Stanford Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki in a February 2025 file photo. (Darren Yamashita/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Heading into the series finale against Wake Forest on April 27, Stanford University freshman Rintaro Sasaki had played in all 39 of the team's games this season. Sasaki is batting .269 with five homers and 31 RBIs (he's third on the team in that category).
The Cardinal (21-18) wrap up their regular season on May 17 at North Carolina State.
―Japan women's judo national team head coach Maki Tsukada on the team's outlook for the 2025 World Judo Championships (June 13-19) in Budapest, Kyodo News reported.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
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