Overview

• Chunichi lost to Yakult on Sept. 19, confirming a fifth consecutive finish of fourth place or lower as early runs allowed doomed starter Yuya Yanagi.
• One day earlier, a collapse against DeNA erased any chance of second place, with veteran Hideaki Wakui yielding a go-ahead three-run homer to Yoshitomo Tsutsugo.
• The recent skid reflects a broader pitching downturn for Chunichi, with a season-worst deficit of 16 games under .500 reported after the Sept. 18 loss.
• SoftBank rallied past Nippon-Ham with a late Kurihara homer and a bases-loaded walk by Kawase, deploying seven relievers to extend the lead to 4.5 games and shrink the magic number to 7.
• Chunichi’s Sho Nakata started at first base on Sept. 19 and was honored in a postgame retirement ceremony.