Softbank, which won Pacific League, advanced to the Japan Series after winning the CS final stage against Nippon-Ham with a 4-3 record.
This year Pacific League 's CS finals were played through 6 games, and ace Moinello started Game 6 on the 20th, so if he were to start in Game 1, it would be 4 days between starts, and even in Game 2, 5 days between starts. On the other hand, Hanshin Tigers, which won Central League the CS final stage against DeNA with three consecutive wins, went on to the Japan Series with a 4-0 record, including one win on advantage. Softbank, which played six games, and Hanshin Tigers, which finished with three games. pitcher Considering the burden on the team, it appears that Hanshin Tigers is favored to advance to the Japan Series first.
Looking at the CS finals since 2008, when the format was changed to six games, there have been five, including this year's Softbank.
▼ Advance to the Japan Series with 4 wins and 3 losses in the CS finals
2010 Lotte ★○●●○○○
2012 The Giants ☆●●●○○○
2014 Softbank ☆○●●○●○
2024 DeNA ★○○○●●○
Softbank 2025 ☆○○●●●○
I wonder how teams like Softbank, who have played until the sixth game in the CS final stage in the past, have fared in the Japan Series.
▼Japan Series results for teams that advanced to the Japan Series with 4 wins and 3 losses in the CS Final
2010 Lotte (4 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw)
2012 The Giants (4 wins, 2 losses)
2014 Softbank (4 wins, 1 loss)
2024 DeNA (4 wins, 2 losses)
Upon investigation, they have been the champions of Japan in all four of their previous seasons. Softbank also advanced to the Japan Series in 2014 after a 4-3 record in the final stage against Nippon-Ham. In the same year, they lost the first game of the Japan Series against Hanshin Tigers, but won the second game and went on to win four straight games to clinch their sixth Japan Series title, the first in three years.
By the way, Kenji Otonashi, who was then with Softbank and started in the final game of the CS Finals that year, started in the third game of the Japan Series with seven days of rest, pitching seven runs innings closer becoming win pitcher.
In 2014, Softbank took on Nippon-Ham in the final stage and Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Series, becoming the champions of Japan. Will they be able to repeat their success from 11 years ago?
