2020 Japan Series

Along with the All-Star Series, interleague play was removed from the 2020 season to maximize the number of intraleague games that could be played during the pandemic-shortened season. Therefore, the Giants and the Hawks did not play each other during the regular season.[12] Another pandemic-related change enacted during the regular season and the PL Climax Series dictated that games would end in a tie if no winner was determined after ten innings, a change from the usual 12-innings from previous seasons.[15][16] Games played in the Japan Series, however, will be played through 12 innings if necessary.[17] Two days before the start of the series, NPB also decided to adopt the designated hitter (DH) rule for all games in the series, including games hosted by the Central League team. Typically, games played at the CL team's stadium would require pitchers to bat in accordance with the CL rules. However, with the shortened and condensed season, pitchers had been fatigued more than usual. Also, with interleague play cancelled, PL pitchers never needed to bat all season. Therefore, the DH rule was implemented to lower the risk of injury to pitchers. It was the first time since the 1985 Japan Series that all games in the series featured the DH.[18] In accordance with government guidelines, attendance of the games was limited to 50% of the stadiums' respective capacities.[19] Because of this, the series' total attendance was 69,798, the lowest in Japan Series history.[20] The series started and completed without any outbreaks, but if the series could not be continued due to an outbreak of COVID-19, the team with the most wins at the time would be declared the champions. If the series was tied at the time, the team with the better Team Quality Balance (TQB)[lower-alpha 1] would be declared the champions.[19]

Ryoya Kurihara drove in four runs for the Hawks in their Game 1 win.

In the first Japan Series game held outside either of the two participating teams' home stadiums since 1980,[13] Tomoyuki Sugano started the game for the Yomiuri Giants.[26] After the Hawks' Yurisbel Gracial singled in the second inning, Sugano gave up a two-run home run to Ryoya Kurihara to give the Hawks the early lead. Kurihara later hit a two-out double in the fourth inning and attempted to score on a single by Alfredo Despaigne, however he was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Then, with two outs in the sixth inning, Sugano hit Yuki Yanagita and allowed Gracial to reach base with a single. Kurihara then collected two more runs batted in (RBIs) on his second double of the game. Sugano was removed after the inning; it was the first time he had allowed four runs in a start since his second game of the season. Akira Nakamura drove in the Hawks' final run in the eighth inning with an RBI single.[26]

SoftBank starter Kodai Senga lasted seven scoreless innings, striking out six batters and walking three. The Giants had a scoring opportunity in the fourth when he walked two batters to start the inning, however Yoshihiro Maru hit into a double play and Senga retired the next batter. Yomiuri loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning against Hawks closer Yuito Mori, but they were only able to score one run on a sacrifice fly by Zelous Wheeler. The Hawks' win was their record ninth-straight Japan Series win and their record 13th-straight postseason win.[26]

In Game 2, Alfredo Despaigne tied a Japan Series single-game record with six runs batted in.

The Giants' Nobutaka Imamura and the Hawks' Shuta Ishikawa, the starting pitchers, made their first Japan Series starts in Game 2.[27] SoftBank immediately took the lead in the first inning after Imamura issued a one-out walk and Yanagita doubled to drive home the game's first run. Then, after catching a ground ball, a wild throw to first base by Yomiuri second baseman Naoki Yoshikawa allowed Gracial to reach the base safely and the second run to score. Another single followed by a Despaigne groundout drove in Gracial for the third Hawks' run of the inning. The Hawks scoring continued next inning when Takuya Kai hit a one-out solo home run to give the Hawks a 4–1 lead. Imamura was replaced later that same inning by regular-season starter Shosei Togo. SoftBank continued to score, however, as Yanagita opened the third inning with a single and Gracial hit a home run to drive him home. After failing to score in the fourth inning, the Hawks bounced back in the fifth when the Giants brought in another regular-season starter, Kazuto Taguchi, to relive Togo. With one out, Taguchi walked Gracial and Kurihara singled before Despaigne's sacrifice fly gave the Hawks their seventh run.[28]

After four scoreless innings, Ishikawa hit Hiroyuki Nakajima with one out and Wheeler gave the Giants their only runs of the night via a two-run home run. Wheeler drove in all three of Yomiuri's runs through the first two games of the series. Ishikawa was removed from the game after giving up back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth inning. He allowed two runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman, while striking out seven. The Giants went on to load the bases but didn't score after the Hawks' second reliever of the inning struck out Hiroyuki Nakajima to end the threat.[28] Despaigne, however, capitalized on a bases loaded chance when he hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to put the Hawks ahead by seven. Despaigne's grand slam was the Hawks' first in franchise history in the Japan Series and also allowed him to tie the Japan Series record for the most RBIs in one game, with six. SoftBank added to their lead one last time in the ninth inning when they scored two runs on a throwing error by Giants pitcher Kan Otake. The win extended the Hawks' record consecutive Japan Series win streak to ten games.[27]

Matt Moore didn't allow a hit through seven innings.

In Game 3, Matt Moore started for SoftBank and Ángel Sánchez for Yomiuri. Sánchez retired eight of the first nine Hawks batters he faced before allowing a two-out single in the third inning. Akira Nakamura then put the Hawks ahead with a two-run home run. Sánchez didn't allow another run into the sixth inning when the Giants intentionally loaded the bases with only one out. Giants second baseman Naoki Yoshikawa, however, made an impressive defensive play to save runs and end the inning. The next inning, Sanchez was removed from the game after allowing a single and a sacrifice. Relief pitcher Yuhei Takanashi then went on to hit a batter and allow Nakamura to hit an RBI single, his third RBI of the night. Kan Otake replaced Takanashi but gave up an RBI single to Yurisbel Gracial to extend the Hawks' lead to 4–0.[29]

After doubling their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo made the decision to pull Moore from the game after throwing 93 pitches despite him having a no-hitter at the time.[29][30] No pitcher has thrown a complete game no-hitter in Japan Series history,[29] however the Chunichi Dragons made a similar decision in the 2007 Japan Series when Daisuke Yamai after eight perfect innings in Game 5 that resulted in a combined perfect game.[30] In addition to not allowing any hits, Moore pitched seven scoreless innings, struck out five, walked two, and two batters reached base on errors against him.[29] Livan Moinelo, Moore's relief, hit one batter and walked another in the eighth inning but kept the no-hitter intact by striking out three Giants hitters. Hawks closer Mori then picked up two outs in the ninth inning before giving up a single to Yoshihiro Maru, the Giants' first and only hit of the game. Game 3 extended three Hawks win streaks: 11 consecutive Japan Series games, 15 consecutive Japan Series games at home, and 15 consecutive postseason games.[30]

Yuki Yanagita hit a two-run home run in Game 4.

In the top of first inning in Game 4, Akihiro Wakabayashi hit a leadoff double off of SoftBank starter Tsuyoshi Wada. Hayato Sakamoto followed with a double of his own, driving in Wakabayashi and giving the Giants their first lead of the series. The Hawks quickly took the lead back, however, in the bottom half of the inning when Yuki Yanagita hit a two-run home run off of Giants starter Seishu Hatake. Takuya Kai extended the Hawks' lead in the second inning with a two-out, two-run home run. The home run, Kai's second of the series, resulted in Hatake's removal from the game. Wada, likewise, had a short start for the Hawks, lasting only two innings. Yomiuri reliever Shosei Togo took the mound in the third inning and retired seven of eight batters faced. Yuki Matsumoto replaced Wada in the third and went on to strike out four over ​2 ²⁄₃ innings and earned the win. Neither team allowed a runner past first base from the fifth inning until the ninth inning, when SoftBank closer Yuito Mori allowed a walk and a single with one out. The Giants did not capitalize on their final opportunity, however, as Mori struck out Shunta Tanaka and Yoshiyuki Kamei flied out.[31]

Postgame, Ryoya Kurihara was named the Japan Series Most Valuable Player. The Hawks' win completed their second straight Japan Series sweep of the Giants. The Japan Series title was SoftBank's fourth straight, the first Pacific League team to achieve the feat and the first since the Giants, who won nine straight from 1965 to 1973. Through the end of the series, the Hawks had won their last 12 Japan Series games, their last 16 home games in the Japan Series, and their last 16 postseason games. The Giants' .132 batting average in the series was the lowest in Japan Series history and the loss was their ninth consecutive Japan Series loss, tying the record.[20]

2020 Japan Series (4–0): Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (PL) swept Yomiuri Giants (CL).