Sports

BASEBALL | Swallows Rally Past Tigers in 7th Inning and Advance to Japan Series

Yakult outscored Hanshin 18-7 in three Central League Climax Series Final Stage games, completing a series sweep in dramatic fashion.

Published

2 years ago

October 14, 2022

Ed Odeven

Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu receives the traditional doage (victory toss) after Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage at Jingu Stadium on October 14. The Swallows beat the Hanshin Tigers 6-3. (ⒸSANKEI)

This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have advanced to the Japan Series in back-to-back years for the first time since 1993.

The Central League pennant-winning Swallows staged a dramatic late comeback against the Hanshin Tigers on Friday night, October 14 at Jingu Stadium.

Trailing 3-0 after six innings in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage, Yakult erased Hanshin's lead with a five-run rally in the seventh inning. And Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu's club completed its quest to return to the Japan Series with a 6-3 win.

Under NPB's quirky playoff rules, the regular-season winners of the Central and Pacific Leagues receive an automatic 1-0 advantage for the Final Stage. In addition, the top seed only needs three wins and a tie to advance.

The Swallows added an insurance run in the eighth inning before slamming the door on the Tigers' championship hopes in the ninth.

Read the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.