[Game Summary]
On June 20, 2025, at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, the Nippon Life Interleague matchup between the Hanshin Tigers and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ended in a hard-fought 2-1 loss for Hanshin after 10 innings.
The game saw action from the very beginning. In the top of the 1st inning, SoftBank capitalized on an early opportunity, scoring the opening run on a grounder by Ryoya Kurihara.
Hanshin found themselves trailing, but managed to level the score in the bottom of the 5th. With two outs and runners on first and second, Yusuke Ohyama hit a timely single to center, bringing in the much-needed tying run.
From there, both teams’ pitchers displayed gritty performances, refusing to give up additional runs. Hanshin’s starter, Shoki Murakami, allowed just one run over eight innings, putting up a resilient outing. SoftBank’s starter, Moinelo, was equally impressive, limiting Hanshin to only one run and keeping the game tense in a classic pitcher’s duel.
With the score tied 1-1, the game went into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, SoftBank finally broke through. With two outs and a runner on third, pinch-hitter Soichiro Ishizuka delivered a clutch RBI double to right field, which proved to be the game-winning hit.
Hanshin tried to respond in the bottom of the 10th, but the offense couldn’t string together hits. Teruaki Sato struck out swinging, and the Tigers were unable to bring the tying run home. Despite tallying 12 hits, Hanshin could only manage a single run, falling just short of a comeback.
As a result, Hanshin’s winning streak was snapped at two, while SoftBank moved within one win of clinching the Interleague title.
[Impressions]
Moinelo is one of the best pitchers in NPB, so honestly I didn’t think we’d get many hits—but we actually did. Still, the frustrating trend from last week continued: creating chances but failing to get that one crucial hit. Especially in the 7th and 9th innings, when the cleanup hitters were up with runners on, we really needed someone to deliver and break the game open.
Murakami’s start was a bit shaky early on, but with some great defensive plays by Obata, Chikamoto, and Nakano, he was able to settle in and put together a quality outing. The defense is finding a good rhythm now—it’s just the bats that need to step up, especially Morishita!
