Latest news with #SoftBankHawks
The Mainichi
2 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: Arihara, Downs lead high-flying Hawks past Eagles
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- Kohei Arihara threw six innings of two-run ball and Jeter Downs contributed two RBIs, including a fifth-inning solo homer, as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Rakuten Eagles 5-2 on Saturday. The Pacific League-leading Hawks improved to a season-high 22 games over .500 as they recorded their third straight win. The home side took a 2-0 lead in the second inning at Mizuho PayPay Dome as Taisei Makihara and Ukyo Shuto drove in runs back-to-back. Downs hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 in the third, and the Colombian-born import further extended the lead with his third long bomb of the season to left field with one out in the fifth. Keita Yamamoto added an insurance run with his seventh-inning solo blast. "It felt good to get back on the board and give us the momentum again and help us just continue this nice little win streak we've got going on," Downs said. The former Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals infielder praised veteran right-hander Arihara (9-5) for putting the team in winning position despite scattering seven hits in an at-times difficult start. "He battled today, he didn't have his best stuff, but that's what a good pitcher does," Downs said. "Even when they don't have their best stuff, they still give you a chance to win, and that's what he did today." In the Central League, Hanshin Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato crushed his Nippon Professional Baseball-best 27th home run in a 5-1 victory over the Yakult Swallows. The 26-year-old Sato went long to lead off the fourth inning at Jingu Stadium for the CL leaders, who racked up four homers for the game, including two from Ryuhei Obata.
The Mainichi
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Kurebayashi grand slam lifts Buffaloes past Hawks
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Kotaro Kurebayashi hit a grand slam as the Orix Buffaloes beat the SoftBank Hawks 4-0 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep in the Pacific League. Kurebayashi blasted a low 0-1 slider from Hawks starter Haru Matsumoto (3-3) high into the left stand at Kyocera Dome Osaka with one out in the sixth inning, going deep for the fifth time this year. Kohei Azuma blanked the Hawks over five innings on two hits, and relievers Taisuke Yamaoka (3-1), Sho Iwasaki and Luis Perdomo each threw a perfect inning for the Buffaloes. In other action, the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers won their 11th straight game and eighth in a row against the Hiroshima Carp after coming from behind to prevail 6-3.
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.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kodai Senga, Roki Sasaki reunite before Mets-Dodgers showdown
The post Kodai Senga, Roki Sasaki reunite before Mets-Dodgers showdown appeared first on ClutchPoints. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rōki Sasaki and New York Mets All-Star Kodai Senga finally met again on the mound. The meetup came ahead of the much-anticipated National League Championship Series rematch at Dodger Stadium. The Mets had edged the Dodgers 4–3 in extra innings during their previous encounter, adding even more intrigue to this matchup. The two Japanese stars were seen having a delightful conversation, and Senga appeared to give some tips to Sasaki. Their last meeting came during the 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season. Senga suited up for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, while Sasaki took the mound for the Chiba Lotte Marines. The Marines cruised to an 8–1 victory, with Sasaki earning the win and Senga taking the loss. Later that year, Senga exercised his international free agent rights and made the jump to MLB. Advertisement In December 2022, Senga signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Mets. His SoftBank career was loaded with accolades. He won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020, captured five Japan Series titles, and earned three NPB All-Star nods. He also led the Pacific League in strikeouts twice and received two Best Nine awards. Senga made his MLB debut on April 2, 2023, in a 5–1 win over the Miami Marlins. He later earned a spot in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. Sasaki, in contrast, had a shorter but electrifying career in Japan. Before his Dodgers career, he made global headlines with a perfect game on April 10, 2022. In that match against the Orix Buffaloes, Sasaki struck out 19 batters to tie the NPB single-game record. He also fanned 13 consecutive hitters, setting a new world record. Sasaki needed just 105 pitches to complete the game. It remains the 16th perfect game recorded in NPB history. The Dodgers signed Sasaki on January 22, 2025. Baseball America named him the No. 1 prospect ahead of the season. He made the Opening Day roster and debuted against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. Sasaki recorded his first MLB strikeout against fellow Japanese star Seiya Suzuki. In May, the Dodgers placed him on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. Related: MLB rumors: Sandy Alcantara's 8.47 ERA shouldn't stop Cubs from making trade Related: MLB rumors: Yankees, Phillies named best trade fits for Rays stars
