Hanshin Tigers supporters jumped into Osaka’s Dotonbori canal on Saturday night after the Yomiuri Giants fell 5–2 to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Tokyo Dome, clinching a second straight Central League pennant for the franchise for the first time in its history.
Hanshin had entered the day with a magic number of one but lost its own afternoon game 6–4 to the Hiroshima Carp at Mazda Stadium. The Giants’ defeat ended the race with four games left on the Tigers’ regular-season schedule.
Playoff path
As the CL champion, Hanshin receives a bye into the Climax Series final stage beginning October 14 at Koshien Stadium. The opponent will be either the Giants or DeNA, who meet in the first stage starting October 10.
New playoff rules grant Hanshin one automatic win in the final stage—and potentially two if it finishes at least ten games ahead of DeNA. The Tigers led the BayStars by eight games when the pennant clinched, so only the single bonus applies unless the gap widens in the final series.
Japan Series rematch in view
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have already wrapped the Pacific League, setting up a potential rematch of last year’s Japan Series, which the Hawks won 4–1. Hanshin’s last championship came in 2023, when the club broke the long-running “Curse of the Colonel.”
Ticket lotteries for Koshien playoff games open this week, with club officials warning that resale prices could spike given the historic back-to-back flag.