SMBC Japan Series 2026 Game 4: Softbank Hawks vs. DeNA (28th, Mizuho PayPay)

Softbank Hawks pitcher Yuki Matsumoto took the mound in the 8th inning with a two-run lead and retired the side in order.

In the first game on the 24th (Yokohama), he gave up a solo home run to Maki in the 8th inning while leading by one run, which temporarily tied the game. In the second game on the 25th (Yokohama), he gave up a three-run homer to Tsutsugo in the 8th inning while leading by two runs, which temporarily turned the game around. He was out of the dugout for the third game yesterday on the 27th (Mizuho PayPay). On this day, he struck out the lead-off batter Watarai looking, got Maki to fly out to first, and acted as a closer by getting Sano to ground out to second.

The day before, Masaki hit a walk-off home run in the 10th extra inning. The team won a hard-fought battle that marked the first time in history that the first three games of a series went into extra innings, putting them one win away from consecutive championships.