Yokohama DeNA BayStars outshine juggernauts Yomiuri Giants, progress to NPB's Japan Series

Yokohama DeNA Baystars captain Shugo Maki (Image from Shankei)
Yokohama DeNA Baystars captain Shugo Maki (Image from Shankei)

In what can be described as one of the biggest upsets in NPB postseason history this millenia, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars stunned the Yomiuri Giants at home to claim the Central League pennant and advance to the Japan Series. They next face the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks for the league's biggest prize.

The BayStars clawed their way back from a 2-0 deficit in Game 6 of the Central League Climax Series final stage on Monday. An error committed by shortstop Keito Mori gave the Giants the lead in the first inning. Shosei Togo added to the Giants' lead with a perfectly placed squeeze bunt that drove in Hayato Sakamoto.

Mori made up for his early blunder, leading the charge in the fifth inning with an RBI triple. Mike Ford added to the scoring tally, tying the game on a groundout in the same inning.

Per NPB rules, if the game had ended in a tie after 12 innings, the team with the better regular season head-to-head record would have been awarded the win. With the scores tied at 2-2 and Yokohama's season on the line, captain Shugo Maki broke the deadlock with a go-ahead RBI single.

The star-studded Giants, who had a one game advantage over the BayStars by being the higher seed heading into the series per the NPB rulebook, couldn't mount a comeback as they fell 3-2, and Yokohama advanced with a 4-3 series win.

The BayStars now have a date with destiny, as they appear in their first NPB Japan Series since 2017 against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Fukouka won 91 of 143 regular season games this year and swept the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the Pacific League Climax Series.


Yomiuri Giants ace Sugano to leave NPB, sets sight on MLB

As reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano is set to leave NPB at the end of the season and seek to enter Major League Baseball.

The 35-year-old starter is a two-time Central League MVP, a winner of the Japanese Triple Crown, a three-time Eiji Sawamura awardee and an eight-time All-Star.

It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the MLB, given the performances of Japan-born pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kodai Senga and Shota Imanaga.

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Edited by Bhargav
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