The 2017 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2017'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

's postseason. The 68th edition of the

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series between the winning cl ...

, it was a

best-of-seven playoff There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

between the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

of the

Pacific League The , or , or the , due to sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the a ...

and the

Yokohama DeNA BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current n ...

of the

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

. SoftBank finished in first place in the Pacific League during the 2017 regular season, while the BayStars advanced to the postseason after finishing in third place in the Central League. In the 2017

Climax Series The is the current annual playoff system implemented by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). It determines which team from the Central League (CL) and from the Pacific League (PL) will advance to compete for the championship in the Japan ...

, the Hawks defeated the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

to win the Pacific League Championship. The BayStars defeated the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

to become the Central League champions, becoming the first Central League team to finish in third place during the regular season to win a Climax Series. The Hawks won the first three games of the series. Facing elimination, the BayStars won Games 4 and 5. Returning home, the Hawks won Game 6 to win the series, 4–2. Hawks' pitcher

Dennis Sarfate Dennis Scott Sarfate (born April 9, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Saitama Seibu L ...

, with two saves and a Game 6 win, was named the

Japan Series Most Valuable Player The is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Japan Series, which is the final round of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason. The award was first presented in 1950. The series follows a ...

(MVP).

Toshiro Miyazaki is a Japanese people, Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career Miyazaki was selected to the . References External links NPB.com
1988 births Living people J ...

won the Fighting Spirit Award, given to the best player on the losing team. This is the first Japan Series loss for the BayStars, having won in two previous appearances in 1960 and 1998.

Climax Series

Series notes

The

last won the Japan Series in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. They had losing records in every season from

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

through

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, with ten last place finishes in that span. In 2012,

DeNA is a Japanese provider of mobile portal and e-commerce websites headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It owns the Mobage cell phone platform and also operates other services, including the e-commerce website DeNA Shopping (formerly: Bidders). H ...

purchased the BayStars from the

Tokyo Broadcasting System (formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...

. DeNA focused on increasing attendance at

Yokohama Stadium is a baseball stadium in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and has a capacity of 34,046 people. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The stadium features dirt around the bases an ...

and improving the team, hiring

Alex Ramírez Alexander Ramón Ramírez Quiñónez (born 3 October 1974), nicknamed Ramichan, is a Venezuelan-born former professional baseball outfielder who had a long career in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He is the first foreign-born player to re ...

as their manager in 2016. The BayStars finished in third place in the

in 2017, games behind the

. Their .252 team

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and 134

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s were both second best in the Central League. The BayStars defeated the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

and then the Carp in the

2017 Central League Climax Series The 2017 Central League Climax Series (CLCS) was a post-season playoff consisting of two consecutive series that determined who would represent the Central League in the Japan Series. The First Stage was a best-of-three series and the Final Stage ...

, becoming the first third place team to advance to the Japan Series from the Central League. José López was the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) of the Central League Climax Series. The

have won three Japan Series championships since 2011. Their 3.22

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

was the lowest in

(NPB) in 2017, and

set an NPB single-season record with 54 saves.

Alfredo Despaigne Alfredo Despaigne Rodríguez (born June 17, 1986) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Alazanes de Granma of the Cuban National Series. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines and ...

and Yuki Yanagita both hit over 30 home runs, as the Hawks hit 164 home runs, the most in NPB during the regular season. They defeated the

in the 2017 Pacific League Climax Series.

Seiichi Uchikawa is a Japanese former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama BayStars, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Tokyo Yakult Swallows from 2001 to 2022. Career Yokohama BayStars Y ...

was named the MVP of the Pacific League Climax Series. Uchikawa, the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Hawks, played for Yokohama for ten seasons.

Series overview

Game summaries

Game 1

Kodai Senga is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023 and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut in 2012 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a three-time NPB All-Sta ...

started for the Hawks, and Shoichi Ino started for the BayStars. The Hawks scored in the first inning when Despaigne hit a

run batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI)

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

, scoring Yanagita. In the second inning, Yuya Hasegawa hit a two-run home run. The BayStars scored a run on an RBI

ground ball In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

Masayuki Kuwahara is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply '' ...

in the top of the fifth inning, but the Hawks scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Kenta Imamiya scored on an RBI

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by Despaigne,

Keizo Kawashima is a Japanese people, Japanese professional baseball player. He plays infielder for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Professional career On November 18, 2005, Kawashima was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the 2005 Nippon Profess ...

and

Takuya Kai is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Professional career Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks On October 28, 2010, Kai wa ...

drew walks with the

bases loaded This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See #count, coun ...

, Yanagita had a two RBI single, and Imamiya had a two RBI

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * I ...

. Senga allowed one

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

on four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in seven

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

to earn the victory.

Game 2

Nao Higashihama is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Early baseball career Higashihama pitched in the 3rd grade spring 80th Japanese High School Baseball Invitational Tournament as Okinaw ...

started for the Hawks, pitching innings, and allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts.

Shōta Imanaga , nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher", and "Mike Imanaga II" is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStar ...

started for the BayStars, allowing one run and five hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings. The BayStars scored all three of their runs in the sixth inning, with a solo home run by Takayuki Kajitani and a two-run home run by

. The Hawks scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a two-RBI single by Akira Nakamura that resulted in a close play at

home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

Instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred, both shot and broadcast live TV, live. After being shown live, the video is replayed so viewers can see it again and analyze what just happened. Spo ...

determined that Imamiya was safe, giving Softbank a one-run lead. Sarfate earned the save.

Game 3

Kazuhiro Sasaki Kazuhiro Sasaki (佐々木主浩 ''Sasaki Kazuhiro'', born February 22, 1968) is a Japanese former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played his entire Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) career with the Yokohama Taiyō Whales / Yokohama ...

, a member of the BayStars in their 1998 championship season, threw the

ceremonial first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...

Joe Wieland Joseph Andrew Wieland (born January 21, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego ...

started Game 3 for the BayStars, and

Shota Takeda is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Professional career On October 27, 2011, Takeda was drafted by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks with the first overall pick in the 2011 ...

started for the Hawks. Uchikawa had an RBI single for SoftBank in the first inning. Hiroaki Takaya hit a two RBI single in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 3–0. Takeda was removed from the game after innings. He allowing one run, a home run by López in the fourth inning, but was able to escape a bases loaded jam that inning without allowing more runs. The Hawks' relief pitchers completed the victory by pitching innings, allowing one run on an infield single in the sixth inning. Shuta Ishikawa, the first reliever to enter the game, earned the win. Wieland, who allowed three runs in innings, took the loss. Sarfate earned his second save of the series.

Game 4

With DeNA facing elimination, they started

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

Haruhiro Hamaguchi is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Career Yokohaka DeNA BayStars Hamaguchi began his career in 2017 w ...

in Game 4. Hamaguchi did not allow a hit to SoftBank for innings, when Shinya Tsuruoka hit a double. He came out of the game after allowing his second hit in the inning.

Tsuyoshi Wada is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2003 to 2011, and 2016 to 2024 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2014 to 2015 for the Chic ...

, starting for the Hawks, allowed two runs in five innings. Miyazaki hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, followed by a run-scoring sacrifice fly by

Toshihiko Kuramoto is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team ha ...

. In the seventh inning,

Shuto Takajo is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2012 to 2022 for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Orix Buffaloes. Career On November 13, 2019, Takajo signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars ...

hit a home run for the BayStars to extend their lead to 3–0. In the eighth inning, DeNA expanded their lead when Miyazaki hit an RBI single and Takajo hit a two-run single.

Game 5

Rick van den Hurk started Game 5 for SoftBank, and Kenta Ishida started for DeNA. SoftBank scored in the first inning of Game 5, with a single and stolen base by Imamiya followed by an RBI double by Uchikawa. In the fourth inning, López hit a double for DeNA, and

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pitt ...

hit a two-run home run. SoftBank took a 4–2 lead in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Despaigne and a two-run home run by Nakamura. DeNA responded in the sixth inning with an RBI double by Tsutsugo and an RBI single by Miyazaki that tied the game, 4–4. Another run scored on an

error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

by Hawks'

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Kenji Akashi is a former Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball infielder, and current second squad hitting coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played his entire 19-year career with Fukuoka. He was an active player f ...

Yasuaki Yamasaki is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career Yamasaki was drafted with the first pick by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He has ...

, DeNA's

closer Closer or Closers may refer to: Film and television * ''Closer'' (2000 film), a documentary by Tina Gharavi * ''Closer'' (2004 film), a 2004 adaptation of Patrick Marber's play (see below), directed by Mike Nichols * ''The Closer'', a 1990 mo ...

, entered the game with two baserunners in the eighth inning, but escaped without allowing a run. The Hawks loaded the bases against Yamasaki in the ninth inning, but he completed the save without allowing a run.

Game 6

With the series returning to the

Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome , officially the is a domed baseball field located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Home to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the 40,000 seat stadium was built in 1993 and was originally named Fukuoka Dome. It is Japan's first stadium ...

, Higashihama started for the Hawks and Imanaga started for DeNA. Nobuhiro Matsuda hit a home run for SoftBank in the second inning, and Hiroyuki Shirasaki hit a home run for DeNA in the fifth inning, tying the score. López hit a two-run single in the fifth inning, giving DeNA a 3–1 lead. Higashihama allowed three runs on five hits in innings, while Imanaga pitched seven innings with 11 strikeouts, allowing two runs. Trailing 3–2 in the ninth inning, Uchikawa hit a game-tying solo home run off of Yamasaki.

hit the walk-off RBI single for SoftBank in the eleventh inning for the title. Sarfate pitched three scoreless innings of relief for SoftBank to earn the win. Sarfate won the

Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award The is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Japan Series, which is the final round of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason. The award was first presented in 1950. The series follows a ...

References

{{Fukuoka Softbank Hawks Japan Series 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball season

Yokohama DeNA BayStars postseason Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks postseason