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Kohei Arihara did it all for the Pacific League champion SoftBank Hawks, throwing seven scoreless innings and driving in the winning run in a 5-3 Japan Series Game 1 victory Saturday over the Central League’s DeNA BayStars.
The Hawks’ victory was their 13th straight in Japanese pro baseball’s season finale, stretching back to 2018, a year after SoftBank vanquished DeNA in their previous postseason clash.
“It takes three more to win this (best-of-seven) series,” Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo said. “The other 12 wins don’t matter to me.”
SoftBank Hawks right-hander Kohei Arihara starts Game 1 of the Japan Series against the DeNA BayStars at Yokohama Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
The game was DeNA’s first at home in the postseason after they finished third in the CL and advanced to the Japan Series by winning back-to-back playoff series on the road.
Arihara allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. He didn’t fool the BayStars hitters in the first inning, when he issued a walk and gave up some sharply hit balls, but found his rhythm on the mound before taking care of business with his bat against DeNA right-hander Andre Jackson.
A one-out second-inning walk and a two-out Taisei Makihara double gave DeNA an open base so Jackson could get out of the jam against Arihara. The pitcher’s ground single past first scored the runner from third, and Makihara scored when the ball was fumbled in the outfield.
“I was just trying to put the bat on the ball,” Arihara said. “It was a thrill when it got through the infield because one doesn’t expect to get a chance to do this in a game of this importance.”
SoftBank Hawks pitcher Kohei Arihara drives in two runs with a second-inning single in Game 1 of the Japan Series against the DeNA BayStars at Yokohama Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
The intentional walk left a runner in scoring position for slugger Yuki Yanagita, who ended the inning by striking out, the first of a Japan Series record-tying five straight for Jackson.
Jackson struck out nine while allowing two runs on three hits, exiting after his fourth walk put two on with two outs in the fifth. Submarine right-hander Hayate Nakagawa escaped the inning by striking out PL home run king Hotaka Yamakawa.
DeNA came close to tying it in the fifth when they once again got some good swings on Arihara’s pitches after a bunt leadoff single. But the right-hander got lucky when a line drive into the seats went just foul with a runner on before catching another smoking liner and doubling off the runner for the third out.
“I was handed an important assignment, and I was able to pitch to the best of my ability,” Arihara said. “That included getting out of some scrapes due to Takuya (catcher Takuya Kai) calling such a great game.”
The visitors purchased insurance in the ninth with two singles and a two-run Kenta Imamiya double over the drawn-in outfield before an error, and another single made it 5-0.
The runs came in handy when Tyler Austin’s leadoff double sparked a three-run ninth-inning rally against closer Roberto Osuna, who contributed a two-out run-scoring error to the carnage.
The BayStars are fighting to win the franchise’s third Japan championship and their first since 1998. Hall of Fame pitcher Hiroshi Gondo, who managed that club to the title, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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