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SoftBank Hawks Return to Top of Pacific League with Eye on Japan Series Crown

Former star infielder Hiroki Kokubo, who's in his first season as manager, has inspired the high-flying SoftBank Hawks to reach new heights.

Published

19 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Jim Armstrong

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo receives the traditional doage (victory toss) after the team's Pacific League pennant-clinching triumph over the Orix Buffaloes on September 23, 2024, at Kyocera Dome Osaka. (©SANKEI)

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After some key off-season moves, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have returned to dominating the Pacific League with an eye toward winning yet another Japan Series championship.

The Hawks won their first PL pennant in four years on Monday, September 23 when the second-place Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters lost 6-4 to the Saitama Seibu Lions.

SoftBank beat the Orix Buffaloes 9-4 later that evening and then celebrated winning the pennant. The Hawks have NPB's best record with 86 wins, 47 losses and three ties for a winning percentage of .647 (through games of September 25).

"We worked so hard since the start of spring training for this day, so I felt great to be tossed in the air," Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo said, according to Kyodo News, of the doage ritual of players tossing their manager in the air after winning a pennant.

Bringing in Kokubo, a former star infielder on Hawks teams that won the Japan Series in 2003 and 2011 when he was the series MVP, was just one of the big moves the team made before the start of the 2024 season.

The Hawks won the Japan Series six of seven times between 2014 and 2020 but missed out the last three seasons when the Yoshinobu Yamamoto-led Buffaloes dominated with three straight pennants.

Yamamoto, of course, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the off-season bringing an abrupt end to Orix's dominant run.

Under the player-friendly Kokubo, the Hawks took the PL lead for good on April 4 and have never looked back.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — *The Hawks' Hotaka Yamakawa is one of the Pacific League's premier power hitters. (©SANKEI)*

Yamakawa Boosts SoftBank Hawks Lineup

Next to hiring Kokubo, the biggest move the Hawks made in the offseason was signing first baseman Hotaka Yamakawa after a scandal tarnished his image with the Lions.

Simply put, Yamakawa has been the best power hitter in the league by far. As of this writing, he leads the league with 33 homers and 95 RBIs.

Outfielder Kensuke Kondoh, a 2023 free agent pickup, has produced his second straight MVP-caliber season and has a league-leading .314 batting average.

Ukyo Shuto continues to be a solid leadoff hitter with 41 steals so far while Ryoya Kurihara has had a bounce-back season with 17 homers and 79 RBIs after missing much of the last two seasons.

Kokubo challenged his players to be better this season and they have lived up to the expectations.

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.