Ed Odeven 
Yomiuri Giants star Kazuma Okamoto hits a sixth-inning home run against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars on April 9, 2025, at Yokohama Stadium. (©SANKEI)
A career .275 hitter, Yomiuri Giants first baseman Kazuma Okamoto is off to a great start in the 2025 NPB season.
Through games of Friday, April 11, Okamoto is No 1 in the Central League with a .432 batting average. In 12 games, he's 19-for-44 with three homers, a triple and five doubles.
Okamoto has driven in 10 runs. He also has an eye-grabbing .795 slugging percentage.
The six-time Central League All-Star, who has played for the Yomiuri Giants since 2015, is one of three Giants among the top four at this early stage of the season.
Yomiuri's Takuya Kai is hitting .378, followed by Hiroshima Carp standout Kaito Kozono, who is 24, at .362. Giants newcomer Trey Cabbage, a former MLB player (Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros), is fourth at .333.
Okamoto is setting the tone on offense for the Giants, getting a hit in each of the team's first 12 games of the season.
Shinnosuke Abe, Yomiuri's second-year manager, recognizes Okamoto's value to the team.
"He's been showing us how good he is, and I hope he continues to do so," Abe was recently quoted as saying by Tokyo Sports. "And I hope the people around the team can see that and feel something from it."
NPB Stats: Top Batting Leaders in the Pacific League
In the Pacific League, outfielder Seiya Watanabe of the Saitama Seibu Lions leads the way with a .400 average. He's had 16 hits in his first 40 at-bats, including one double and one triple.
Despite his success in the batter's box, Watanabe has scored only one run.
A pair of Orix Buffaloes teammates are second and third, respectively, in batting: Ryo Ohta (.388) and Yuma Tongu (.386).
Franmil Reyes of the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters is fourth, hitting at a .366 clip.
Tongu is No 1 in the PL in home runs (five).
He smacked a solo shot, his most recent homer, in the fourth inning on Wednesday, April 9, off Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks pitcher Ryosuke Otsu at Kyocera Dome.
"It was the first pitch of the inning," Tongu said, according to Nikkan Sports. "So I was thinking about getting on base, and I'm glad it turned out to be a home run."
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Dodgers' Yamamoto Improves to 2-1
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto held the visiting Chicago Cubs to two hits in six scoreless innings on Friday night, April 11.
Facing the Cubs for the second time in the 2025 campaign, Yamamoto (2-1) recorded nine strikeouts, one shy of his season-best total. He only walked one batter.
Through Friday's games, Yamamoto leads the National League in strikeouts (28) and he's fourth in ERA (1.23).
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave a glowing assessment of Yamamoto's performance.
"Obviously, Yoshi was very good," Roberts said, according to MLB.com. "Set the tone, filling up the strike zone, getting the swing and miss, a lot of punchouts. The split was really good. [His] fastball [was] really good. Mixed in some curveballs when he needed to keep them off-balance, which was great. Efficient. Getting through six was huge."
Yamamoto was also pleased with his performance.
"I was able to pitch with a good rhythm from the start," Yamamoto was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "[And] I had good control over my fastball and the location of my curveball, which allowed me to compete with a good count. It was a nice way to win."
In the same game, Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats. He struck out twice.
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Horse Racing
Forever Young is No 1 in Global Racehorse Rankings
In the latest Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Japanese thoroughbred Forever Young is No 1.
The rankings are based on results from January 1 to April 6, 2025.
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi oversees Forever Young, who won the Saudi Cup on February 22.
Three other Japanese horses are in the top 10 in the world rankings.
Japan's Danon Decile, trained by Shogo Yasuda, is third in the rankings, having risen to a 125-point rating from 118 by winning the Dubai Sheema Classic on April 5. Soul Rush (Yasutoshi Ikee) is eighth with 121 points, followed by Durezza (Tomohito Ozeki), who is tied for ninth with Ireland's Rebel's Romance and Australia's Voyage Bubble with 120.
On May 8, the next edition of the rankings will be released.
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Golf
Iriya Takes Slim Lead Entering Final Round of Fujifilm Studio Alice Ladies Open
Heading into the final round of the JLPGA Tour's fifth tournament of 2025 on Sunday, April 13, teenager Hibiki Iriya held a one-stroke lead at the Fujifilm Studio Alice Ladies Open.
The 19-year-old Iriya shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday. That followed a 5-under effort on the first day at Ishizaka Golf Club in Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture, to give her a two-round total of 9-under 135.
Yuka Yasuda was one stroke off the pace at 8-under 136.
Looking ahead to Sunday's final round, Iriya said she was determined to emerge victorious.
"Of course, I'm going to aim for the win and I will do what I can to win the championship," Iriya said, according to Jiji Press.
The tournament's complete results (in English and Japanese) will be updated on the JLPGA Tour website.
Ice Hockey
Japan Improves to 2-0 at the Women's World Championship
Yumeka Wajima scored late in the first period and Akane Shiga added an empty-netter as Japan defeated Hungary 2-0 in a preliminary round match on Friday, April 11 at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.
Japan goaltender Miyuu Masuhara made 27 saves to earn the shutout in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
"In the first period, there were not so many chances," Wajima said, according to the IIHF website. "But just before the end, I saw an opportunity and I was able to get that goal. It was a great moment for me and important for our team."
In its tournament opener, Japan beat Norway 5-2 on Thursday.
With a 2-0 record in Group B play, Wajima's squad, aka Smile Japan, has had an impressive start in the 10-team tournament.
Japan faces Sweden on Sunday.
The quarterfinals begin on Thursday, April 17, and the title match is on April 20.
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Basketball
Hachimura Helps the Lakers Clinch Pacific Division Title
Rui Hachimura scored 16 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 140-109 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday, April 11. Basketball superstar Luka Doncic had a 39-point outing as LA clinched the Pacific Division title.
The Lakers (50-31) have secured the Western Conference's No 3 seed for the NBA playoffs. They play their final regular-season game on Sunday on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers.
In other basketball news, Takatoshi Furukawa of the Kyoto Hannaryz became the 19th player in B.League history to sink 600 career 3-point shots. He made 4 of 7 3s in a 99-87 road loss to the Utsunomiya Brex on Saturday.
Soccer
Reims’ Nakamura Shines in French Ligue 1 Match
Keito Nakamura notched a brace in Reims' 2-0 away triumph on Friday, April 11 over Lens in the French Ligue 1, scoring in the 33rd and 88th minutes. Nakamura began his pro soccer career with the J.League's Gamba Osaka in 2018.
Nakamura, who is 24, now has 11 goals in 29 Ligue 1 matches this season.
A Fan's Perspective
I recently received an email from someone who's been following Major League Baseball since the 1950s. A portion of the email included a vivid description of what it's like to be a rabid fan of Shohei Ohtani.
"We always stop what we are doing when he is at bat just to watch the grace of his movements," the fan wrote. "Amazing athlete."
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
