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

Softbank Hawks decided their advancement to the Japan Series for the third consecutive year and a Pacific League record 23rd time by breaking through with a fastball. In the Final Stage, which was the same matchup for the third consecutive year, they defeated Shinjo's Fighters with three consecutive comeback win, making it 5 wins and 0 losses including the two-win advantage.

They easily turned the game around. In the fifth inning with one out and a runner on second, trailing 1-2, outfielder Tomoya Masaki hit his first home run of the CS, a two-run shot into the left-field stands. Although he had committed an error while playing first base defense just before that led to the opponent temporarily taking the lead, he made up for it with his bat and secured a major victory. In the sixth inning, they added two more runs with back-to-back RBI hits from Ukyo Shuto and Tatsuru Yanagimachi, and in the seventh inning, Taisei Makihara hit a sacrifice fly to score the insurance sixth run.

The champions, who boast a league-leading 44 comeback wins during the regular season, showed their true strength in the CS as well. They entered the CS Final Stage (a maximum 7-game series, first to 5 wins) with a two-win advantage. After winning both the first game on the 14th and the second game on the 15th with comeback victories, they reached this match on the verge of advancing to the Japan Series. The previous night, with the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th with one out, Kurihara hit a walk-off grand slam. It was a dramatic shot that secured the win, marking only the second time in CS history such a feat was achieved since Nippon-Ham's Sledge in 2009.

Starting pitcher Yugo Maeda held firm, allowing two runs over five innings. In the first inning, he persevered after facing runners on first and second with no outs to reach two outs, but allowed the opening run on a timely hit by Kotaro Kiyomiya. In the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1, the crisis deepened to runners on second and third with no outs due to an infield hit and a bad throw by Masaki. Although he allowed the go-ahead run on a timely infield hit by Mizuno with two outs, he was also supported by the lineup's run production.

The left-hander made a breakthrough this season, recording 12 consecutive wins without a loss since the opening. His win in the Climax Series at 21 years and 2 months old broke the franchise record for the youngest Climax Series win, surpassing Junpei Takahashi, who became the winning pitcher at 22 years and 5 months old in Game 4 of the 2019 Final Stage against the Seibu Lions.

The Japan Series will open on the 24th. Both pitching and batting are solid as they aim for their 13th championship title, and their second in a row.