Kohei Arihara of the SoftBank Hawks pitches during an NPB game against the Rakuten Eagles at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on Sept. 6, 2025. (Kyodo)
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) — Kohei Arihara tossed seven innings on one-run ball as the SoftBank Hawks held off the Rakuten Eagles 2-1 for their fifth straight win Saturday, cutting their magic number to 16 for the Pacific League pennant.
Arihara (11-8), who played two seasons with the Texas Rangers from 2021, held the Eagles to three hits, two walks and a hit batsman for a quality start at Mizuho PayPay Dome, ending his three-game losing streak.
Takashi Umino put the Hawks on the board with an RBI single to center in the second inning, and Ryoya Kurihara tripled in another in the third off Eagles starter Kosei Shoji (3-2), who allowed four hits and walks each while striking out nine over 5-1/3 innings.
Arihara, who fanned six, did not give up a hit until the sixth when the Eagles had two singles with no out and scored on a double play.
The fourth-place Eagles fell to their fourth straight loss as they battle to secure a top-three finish for a place in the postseason Climax Series.
In other action, the second-place Nippon Ham Fighters lost 3-1 against the Orix Buffaloes.