The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Hanshin Tigers 3-2 in Game 5 on October 30 to win the Japan Series 4-1. Isami Nomura's homer in the 11th inning sealed their fifth title in five years and 12th overall. The Pacific League champions rebounded from a Game 1 loss with four straight wins.
Game 5 of the Japan Series took place at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on October 30, where the SoftBank Hawks beat the Hanshin Tigers 3-2 in 11 innings. The Pacific League champions lost Game 1 at home in Mizuho PayPay Dome but won the next four to reclaim the crown, their first since 2020 and 12th overall.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the second on Seishiro Sakamoto's RBI single off SoftBank starter Kohei Arihara. Teruaki Sato made it 2-0 in the fifth with an RBI single against reliever Darwinzon Hernandez, tying the Japan Series record with RBIs in five straight games. Yuki Yanagita tied it in the eighth with a two-run homer off Daichi Ishii.
Facing elimination, the Tigers used ace Shoki Murakami in the 10th. After a scoreless frame, Nomura led off the 11th with a homer to left on a 2-2 fastball from Murakami. Hanshin's Kotaro Otake pitched six shutout innings of three-hit ball, while Arihara allowed two runs in 4-2/3 innings.
Hotaka Yamakawa was named series MVP with five hits and seven RBIs, including homers in three straight games through Game 4. SoftBank manager Hiroki Kokubo praised his team: "We played really well in all five games, with no time to catch our breath. I'm very happy that we were able to achieve our goal of becoming number one in Japan, which we were unable to achieve last year."
Hanshin's Kyuji Fujikawa said: "The Hawks were extremely strong. To compete on equal terms or better against such a strong team, we need to get stronger ourselves."
