SMBC Japan Series 2026 Game 4: Softbank Hawks 4-2 DeNA (28th, Mizuho PayPay)

Softbank Hawks won their 13th Japan Series title, their second in a row, by sweeping DeNA in four straight games. This marks their second consecutive Japan Series championship, following their 4-1 victory over Hanshin Tigers last year. catcher Yudai Yamamoto, acquired from DeNA in a trade in May, was outstanding with three RBI, including a game-tying two-run triple. They showed their clutch hitting ability by coming from behind in three consecutive games, securing a decisive four-game winning streak.

During the championship interview, Manager Kokubo spoke with tears in his eyes, expressing his joy: 'Since becoming manager, my goal has always been to be tossed in the air here at Mizuho PayPay Dome, and I have finally achieved it in my third year. Thank you very much.'

Winning the championship after a fierce battle. Manager Kokubo praised the team, saying, 'The pitchers worked very hard, and the batters never gave up. As expected, home runs came at great moments that truly changed the flow of the baseball game. Regarding Sugiyama, he had one win and three saves. He really closed things out by appearing in every game.'

In both games, they showed the strength to win close contests. The first game went into an extra inning, and in the 11th, Shoji, who had a breakout year, hit a go-ahead RBI single to win 3-1 on the road. In the second game, despite giving up a comeback three-run homer to Tsutsugo in the 8th inning while leading by two, pinch-hitter Yamakawa hit a game-tying shot with one out in the 9th to send it into another extra inning. In the 10th, substitute Kawamura, who had only one career Home Run, hit a go-ahead solo shot into the center-field batter's eye.

Just like when they faced DeNA two years ago, the third game—returning to Fukuoka after two consecutive wins—saw them catch up in the ninth inning while trailing by one run, leading to the first time in Japan Series history that the first three games all went into extra innings. With one out in the tenth, Masaki hit his first-ever career walk-off home run. In the fourth game, Yu Yamamoto was highly active, recording three RBIs.

After the game, the manager exchanged words with DeNA's Manager Aikawa as if praising each other for the fierce battle. He revealed, 'Their lineup is good, and the level of their pitchers is high. I fought with the feeling that there was absolutely no gap between us. Since the Central League will introduce the DH starting next year, I think baseball will change completely. I spoke about that with Manager Aikawa at the end.'

This marks the first time in history that a team has won the Japan Series with a perfect 7-0 record throughout the postseason (PS), including the Climax Series (CS). While the Softbank Hawks previously achieved a championship with six consecutive wins in 2020 (2 wins and 0 losses in the CS, 4 wins and 0 losses in the Japan Series) when the CS was shortened due to the impact of COVID-19, this is the first time a team has become the best in Japan with an undefeated streak of seven or more games.