Yokohama DeNA BayStars win 2024 Japan Series

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars defeated the favourites, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, in six games to claim the 2024 Japan Series. It's the third title for Yokohama, the first since 1998. The BayStars became the first team to win the Japan Series after finishing third in the regular season after the 2010 Chiba Lotte Marines. In the Climax Series, they eliminated the defending champions, Hanshin Tigers, and the Central League regular season champions, Yomiuri Giants. They also became the Japan Series winners with the lowest regular season winning percentage (.507).

"As a team, we spoke about giving everything we had in each and every game. This championship is the result of that effort," BayStars manager Daisuke Miura, an Athens 2024 bronze medallist, told the Kyodo News agency.

Yokohama clinched the title with an 11-2 win in front of 33,136 fans at Yokohama Stadium on Sunday, November 3. They took the lead in the bottom of the second on a leadoff home run by All-Star slugger and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Yoshi Tsutsugo. Masayuki Kuwahara added a two-RBI single. The BayStars broke the score open with a seven-run fifth at-bat.

Tsutsugo and Kuwahara combined seven runs batted in. Kuwahara, who made the Samurai Japan roster for the upcoming WBSC Premier12 presented by RAXUS, earned MVP honours. Shortstop Kenta Imamiya, who helped Japan to the bronze medal in the inaugural Premier12, was named the best defensive player.

"This championship feels like a dream," commented Kuwahara. "We played fantastic baseball as a team. What a great team this is."

Japan Series 2024 Results

26.10 @Yokohama Stadium: Hawks-BayStars 5-3 33,147 spectators
27.10 @Yokohama Stadium: Hawks-BayStars 6-3 32,953
29.10 @Mizuho PayPay Dome: BayStars-Hawks 4-1 36,736
30.10 @Mizuho PayPay Dome: BayStars-Hawks 5-0 36,623
31.10 @Mizuho PayPay Dome: BayStars-Hawks 7-0 36,636
3.11 @Yokohama Stadium Bay: Stars-Hawks 11-2 33,136

Fukuoka won the first two games in Yokohama and returned home with a series sweep in sight. Yokohama's starting pitchers had different plans. Katsui Azuma allowed one run over seven innings in game three. Former MLB hurlers Anthony Kay and Andre Jackson went scoreless over seven innings. When the Hawks scored their first run in game six, they broke a 29-inning scoreless streak.

One possible WBSC Premier12 2024 star helped the BayStars break a 0-0 tie in Game Five with second baseman Shugo Maki belting a game-breaking three-run homer in the fourth.