Hawks clinch Japan Series 4-1 with 11-inning Game 5 defeat of Tigers

SoftBank Hawks were crowned champions of Nippon Professional Baseball on 30 Oct, 2025. (Mainichi)

NISHINOMIYA, Japan (Kyodo) — The SoftBank Hawks were crowned champions of Nippon Professional Baseball on Thursday after Isami Nomura’s 11th-inning go-ahead home run gave them a Japan Series-clinching 3-2 win over the Hanshin Tigers in Game 5 at Koshien Stadium.

The Pacific League champion Hawks bounced back from a Game 1 loss on home soil at Mizuho PayPay Dome to claim the next four straight against the Central League-winning Tigers and secure the Fukuoka club’s first Japan Series title since 2020.

Facing elimination down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Tigers were poised to stay alive with a 2-0 lead on RBIs from Seishiro Sakamoto and Teruaki Sato before SoftBank veteran Yuki Yanagita sent it to extra innings with a two-run blast in the eighth.

With their season on the line, the Tigers brought ace right-hander Shoki Murakami out of the bullpen for the 10th inning. Following a scoreless 10th, right-handed hitter Nomura led off the 11th with a big fly to the opposite field off Murakami’s 2-2 fastball.

Lefty Kotaro Otake threw six shutout innings of three-hit ball for the Tigers, while SoftBank starter Kohei Arihara left the game after 4-2/3 innings in which he allowed six hits, three walks and was charged with both Hanshin runs.