The "2026 PERSOL Climax Series Pacific League" (hereafter, PERSOL CS Pacific League) Final Stage will open today at 6:00 PM at MIZUHO PayPay Dome. The champions, Fukuoka Softbank, who achieved their third consecutive Pacific League title, and third-place Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, who broke through the "PERSOL CS Pacific League" first baseman stage, will face off for the third consecutive year.

The game difference between the two teams is "13". Due to the new rules introduced this season, Fukuoka Softbank has been granted a 2-win advantage, and the series will be held as a maximum 7-game system, with the first to 5 wins.

The season's head-to-head record was 18 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws, with Fukuoka Softbank holding a significant lead. Which players will be the key figures for reaching the Japan Series for the third consecutive year? This time, focusing on Fukuoka Softbank, we will introduce the records each player achieved at MIZUHO PayPay Dome this season and their head-to-head records against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

Naoyuki Uwasawa and Moinelo pitched well against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham

Looking at the head-to-head records, pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa has a 3-0 record with 6 quality starts and ERA of 2.20 in 7 games, while pitcher Livan Moinelo has a 2-1 record with 1.33 ERA starts in all 3 games he has played against them. Moinelo, pitcher will start the first game, suffered his only loss of the season against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, where he pitched well, allowing only 2 runs (1 earned runs) in 8 innings.

On the other hand, pitcher Ryosuke Otsu, Haru Matsumoto pitcher Yugo Maeda pitcher who recorded 10 or more wins this season, have all struggled with ERA in the 4s. pitcher earned a win in his second encounter with the team this season, pitching 7 innings, allowing 5 hit, no Hit by Pitch batsmen, and no runs, but in his other two games, he gave up 7 runs in a total of 8.0 innings. Haru Matsumoto pitcher up 5 runs in the middle of the 3rd inning in an encounter in April, but otherwise managed to pitch at least a decent game and earned 3 wins. pitcher is currently sidelined due to a right shoulder injury, and his appearance in the Persol CS Pacific League is uncertain.

Furthermore, at their home stadium, MIZUHO PayPay Dome, pitcher Haru Matsumoto has recorded 7 wins with ERA of 2.13. pitcher Moinelo has also posted impressive results, with 3 wins in 3 starts and ERA of 0.49.

Yuki Matsumoto and Yuki Tsumori have had an impressive pitch, allowing zero runs this season.

Among the relief corps, pitchers Yuki Matsumoto and Yuki Tsumori both delivered brilliant performances with an ERA of 0.00 while pitching in over 10 games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Pitcher Hernandez also recorded an ERA of 1.74, although he suffered one loss. Each has an ERA in the 1.00s at their home stadium, turning the cheers into strength.

On the other hand, pitcher Osuna struggled in August with a series of games where he was hit hard, resulting in an ERA of 8.64, and pitcher Hikaru Kimura also faced difficulties, giving up 3 Home Runs in 7 matchups. Rookie pitcher Gota Suzuki, who had an ERA of 1.74 over 40 appearances during the season, had his highest WHIP against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham at 1.67. With an Avg of .261, he tends to struggle slightly against them.

Taisei Makihara has a batting average of over .400 against them

Among fielders, Taisei Makihara was dynamic against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham with a .417 batting average and .946 OPS. Additionally, Kensuke Kondo, Yuki Yanagita, Ukyo Shuto, and Tomoya Masaki also batted over .300 against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, and with the exception of Shuto, all of them also recorded a batting average over .300 at their home stadium.

The double-crown hitting leader Ryoya Kurihara struggled with a .221 batting average against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, but recorded 8 Home Runs, his highest total against any opposing team. At his home stadium, he maintained strong results with a .290 batting average, 23 Home Runs, and a .988 OPS.

Tatsuru Yanagimachi and Hotaka Yamakawa performed well in the game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

Among players with more than 50 but fewer than 100 games this season, Tatsuru Yanagimachi and Hotaka Yamakawa recorded strong performances against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Tatsuru Yanagimachi consistently recorded hits throughout the season with a .358 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage. Yamakawa also showed his presence by hitting 2 Home Runs during the opening three-game series, with a .318 batting average and a 1.074 OPS.

Aiming for their first consecutive Japan Series titles since 2020, can they steadily secure three victories?

Fukuoka Softbank aims for their first consecutive Japan Series titles since 2020. This season, they had a significant advantage over Hokkaido Nippon-Ham with a .783 winning percentage, but since last season's "Persol CS Pacific League" Final Stage was a close battle that went down to the final game, they must not let their guard down.

On the other hand, it is also a fact that Fukuoka Softbank has an advantage over typical years due to obtaining a 2-win lead. In the post-season where anything can happen, can they steadily accumulate wins to secure 3 victories and stand on the Japan Series stage as the champions of the Persol Pacific League?

Text by Ryohei Shoji