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Read the full story on SportsLook – Kohei Arihara Leads Hawks Past BayStars in Game 1 of the Japan Series
Kohei Arihara delivered a dominant performance on the mound for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Game 1 of the 2024 Japan Series on Saturday night, October 26.
Arihara pitched seven scoreless innings, holding the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to four hits.
The 32-year-old Hiroshima native also had the first big hit of the game in the Hawks’ 5-3 triumph at Yokohama Stadium.
With two outs in the second inning, Arihara hit a bases-loaded, two-run single down the right-field line. Tomoya Masaki and Taisei Makihara, both of whom had singled moments earlier, scored. It was the first hit by a pitcher in a Japan Series game since Game 5 in 1986, when Kimiyasu Kudo of the Seibu Lions had a hit. (Kudo later managed the Hawks to five Japan Series titles.)
“I was just trying to put the bat on the ball,” Arihara was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. “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.”
Neither team scored again until the Hawks tacked on three more runs in the top of the ninth to make it 5-0. Kenta Imamiya hit a two-run double to right and teammate Ryoya Kurihara added an RBI single to left with two outs.
BayStars Stage a Spirited Rally in the 9th
The BayStars then spoiled the Hawks’ shutout bid with three runs in the bottom of the ninth as SoftBank closer Roberto Osuna, who had 24 saves in the regular season, endured a rocky outing.
Including Tyler Austin‘s leadoff double, DeNA had four hits in the ninth as the home team staged a spirited rally. The BayStars also had consecutive run-scoring hits by Koki Kajiwara and Keito Mori against Osuna, who also had a throwing error in the ninth that allowed a run to score.
With two outs and runners at the corners, Yokohama had the potential tying run on third base. But BayStars captain Shugo Maki, who went 0-for-5, hit a flyball to center to end the game.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward‘s dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.