Latest news with #NipponHamFighters
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Hawks beat Fighters to extend Japan Pacific League lead
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- Hotaka Yamakawa and Jeter Downs both homered to back a strong outing from Kohei Arihara as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 4-1 on Saturday. The win, in the opener of a crucial three-game home series, saw the Hawks extend their lead at the top of the Pacific League standings to two games over the second-place Fighters. The hosts turned a one-run deficit into a 2-1 lead in the second on Yamakawa's solo blast and Takashi Umino's RBI single. Two innings later, Downs added a two-run shot to left-center at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka. SoftBank right-hander Arihara (10-5) held his former team to one run and four hits in seven innings, while Nippon Ham lefty Takayuki Kato (7-5) lasted only 3-1/3 innings. In other action, the Chunichi Dragons blanked the Hiroshima Carp 2-0.
The Mainichi
03-08-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Fighters demolish Buffaloes as Ito, Reyes star
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Hiromi Ito threw six shutout innings and Franmil Reyes had four RBIs as the Nippon Ham Fighters routed the Orix Buffaloes 9-0 on Sunday in the Pacific League. Ito (11-5) allowed seven hits, four walks as well as a walk and a hit batsman each but no runs in a 114-pitch effort at Kyocera Dome Osaka as he continues to lead the PL in wins. Reyes was the star at the plate with four RBIs, first singling in two runs with the bases loaded with two outs in the third to cap the Fighters' three-run inning. After Buffaloes starter Ren Mukunoki (0-2) gave up seven runs over 3-1/3 innings, the slugger from the Dominican Republic then blasted a two-run home run to center off reliever Raiku Katayama, capping their six-run fourth with his PL-leading 21 homer of the year. In other action, the SoftBank Hawks stayed a game ahead of the Fighters and top the PL after an 8-1 win over the Rakuten Eagles. The Yomiuri Giants had a 4-3 walkoff win over the DeNA BayStars in the Central League.
The Mainichi
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Tongu's walk-off homer caps Orix's comeback victory
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Yuma Tongu hit a walk-off three-run homer to cap a four-run ninth inning and give the Orix Buffaloes a 4-2 victory over the Nippon Ham Fighters on Friday. Tongu's one-out "sayonara" blast to left, off Takayuki Kato (7-4), came after the Buffaloes started the bottom of the ninth with three straight singles to pull within a run at Kyocera Dome Osaka. Orix reliever Raiku Katayama (1-0) worked two scoreless innings after Anderson Espinoza struck out 10 in seven solid innings. Nippon Ham starter Kato took a shutout into the ninth before Orix's dramatic rally. Among Friday's other games, Kensuke Kondo homered in the opening frame to back a seven-inning start from Naoyuki Uwasawa (7-6) as the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks beat the Rakuten Eagles 3-1.
The Mainichi
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Hawks' Kohei Arihara blanks old team Fighters in close win
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Kohei Arihara hurled a six-hit shutout striking out 11 as the SoftBank Hawks held off the Pacific League-leading Nippon Ham Fighters 1-0 on Tuesday. Former Fighter and Texas Ranger Arihara (5-5) had a runner on third in the second, fifth and eighth innings at Tokyo Dome, but kept his old team at bay for his first shutout win of the year allowing just one walk. The right-hander, who decided to join the Hawks in 2023 instead of returning to the Fighters after two seasons with the Rangers, has now won against all 12 current Nippon Professional Baseball teams. Fighters starter Koki Kitayama (5-3), who had a no-hitter bid ended in the ninth in his last outing on June 19, also allowed six hits, fanned five and walked two over eight innings. He allowed his only run in the sixth on Akira Nakamura's sacrifice fly. In other action, the DeNA BayStars snapped their four-game losing skid by beating the Chunichi Dragons 3-2 in the Central League.
The Mainichi
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Chusei Mannami's 2-RBI double gives Fighters win over Lions
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama (Kyodo) -- Chusei Mannami hit a go-ahead, two-RBI double to give the Pacific League-leading Nippon Ham Fighters a 5-2 comeback win against the Seibu Lions as intraleague play resumed Friday. Mannami broke a 2-2 deadlock with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning at Belluna Dome, driving his first pitch from right-hander Hiroshi Kaino (2-3) to right field. Nippon Ham starter Hiromi Ito (8-4) threw eight impressive innings, finishing with 12 strikeouts after allowing two early runs. The Fighters tied the game with two runs in the fourth, including a home run from catcher-cum-outfielder Yua Tamiya, who started in left field. Nippon Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo credited his team's youthful vigor for its track record of winning close games this season against tough opponents. "We have a slight advantage because we are young," he said. "It's a matter of physical strength.
