2026 Persol Climax Series Pacific League Final Stage Game 3: Softbank Hawks 6-2 Nippon-Ham (16th, Mizuho PayPay)

Nippon-Ham suffered three consecutive losses to the Softbank Hawks and failed to advance to the Japan Series. It was a humiliating defeat as they lost to the Softbank Hawks in the Climax Series Final Stage for the third consecutive year at the opponent's home ground in Fukuoka.

The lineup succeeded in taking the lead for the second consecutive game in the first inning with two outs and runners on first and second, when Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a timely RBI single to right field. Although the game was tied in the third inning after allowing a timely RBI single to left field by Shoji, they managed to retake the lead in the fifth inning through Mizuno's infield hit to second base. However, in the bottom of that inning, starter Takayuki Kato gave up a go-ahead two-run home run to Masaki. Kato left the mound in the middle of the fifth inning, having allowed six hits and three runs. 'I am frustrated that I allowed them to turn the game around with my own pitching mistake right when we had good momentum after taking the lead,' he said. In the sixth inning, the third pitcher Yi-Lei Sun and the fourth pitcher Tamai were also caught, giving up two runs. In the seventh inning, Hori allowed a sacrifice fly to left field by Taisei Makihara, resulting in the sixth run being conceded.

After that, they were shut down by Go Suzuki, Hernandez, Hiroki Matsumoto, and Sugiyama, and suffered a defeat.