NPB postseason down to Climax Series finals
The Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason opened on October 12 with the Climax Series.
The first round involved each league's second and third-place finishers in a best-of-three series.
The third-place Yokohama DeNA BayStars shocked the defending Japan Series champions, and second-place finishers Hanshin Tigers won two games (3-1, 10-3) in a packed Koshien Stadium and advanced to the Central League Final playoffs.
The regular season winners, the Yomiuri Giants, started the best-of-seven series 1-0, but Yokohama shut out the Giants at the Tokyo Dome, 2-0, on Thursday, 16 October, and tied the series. The other games are scheduled for October 17, 18, 19, and eventually 20 and 21.
The third-place Chiba Lotte Marines won the first game against the second-place Nippon Ham Fighters, 2-0, in a packed Es Con Field in Hokkaido. The Ham Fighters came back with a 3-2 win in 10 innings, forcing game three, and won 5-2 on October 14 to advance to the final stage.
The Pacific League regular season winners, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, started 1-0 and extended the lead to 2-0 after winning (5-2) on October 16 in front of 40,142 fans at the Mizuho PayPay Dome. The other games are scheduled for October 17 and 18 and, eventually, 19, 20 and 21.
The 2024 best-of-seven Japan Series will open on Saturday, October 26. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 30. Game 5 would eventually follow on Thursday, October 31. Game 6 and 7 are eventually planned for Saturday, November 2, and Sunday, November 3.
The 2024 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 75th season of professional baseball in Japan since Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) was reorganized in 1950 and the 90th anniversary of its founding.