Pacific League Lotte 2-5 Softbank (5th, Zozo Marine)
Softbank added color to their streak of consecutive league championships in the final game of the season. Their title rush has earned them a 35-game lead. Arihara earned his 14th win, allowing only four hit one runs (0 earned) in six innings, and was named Most Wins. The team struggled with three straight losses to start the season, but said, "I was able to pitch well inning that decided the win or loss," earning him his third consecutive win of the season. They've been on a roll since early June, winning eight straight games, and have shown their authority with consecutive wins since the September 27th game against Seibu (Belluna), which clinched the championship.
Last year, he tied with Nippon-Ham 's Ito with 14 wins. This is the first time in professional baseball history that the same two players have led the team in wins two years in a row. Before the game, six of the team's players were certain to win the title, but in the end, the closer also received an award. Sugiyama, who came in to relieve with two outs and runners on first and third in the eighth inning with a four-run lead, recorded his 31st save and secured his first title. Due to Osuna's poor performance, he was converted to closer in mid-June. He was crowned with zero missed save opportunities.
"I thought I'd be lucky if I could pitch," he said, as a "reward" for his league-leading 65 appearances. If the ninth inning had been a four-run deficit, he would not have been eligible. His turn in the middle of the eighth inning was unplanned, but manager Kokubo assisted him, saying, "With the way things turned out, he really wanted to win it." Eight title holders is the most in history. Proving once again the depth of the team's lineup, the manager looked ahead to the postseason, saying, "It was a good regular season. But this isn't where we want to end up." (Ando Osamu)
Related News
・ [Scoreboard] Lotte vs. Softbank
・ [Softbank] Kohei Kohei Arihara in wins for the second consecutive year in the final game, and Kazuki Sugiyama leads the team in saves for the first time. Eight players have secured the most titles in the team's history.
・ [Softbank] Hotaka Yamakawa hits a game-winning bases loaded slam, supporting Kohei Arihara is aiming for the most wins for the second consecutive year.
・ [Softbank] Yuki Yanagita hits home runs in two straight games, his first hitter run in the first inning in 11 years. "I had a good swing."
・ [Today's NPB highlights] If Softbank 's pitcher win wins 14 games, it will be the first time in history that the same two pitchers have won the most games for two consecutive years.
