Overview

• At Rakuten Mobile Park, Ryoya Kurihara’s seventh‑inning single up the middle drove in two after a pitching change, breaking a 0–0 tie.
• The hit came moments after Rakuten lifted starter Ryota Takinaka for reliever Shoten Suzuki with one out and the bases loaded.
• SoftBank batted around in the ninth to score four insurance runs and close out a 6–0 victory.
• The win left the Hawks one victory from back‑to‑back NPB titles, with Kurihara extending his hitting streak to four games.
• Kurihara is credited with 28 hits and a .394 average in September, and Kokubo has publicly challenged him to deliver at a monthly MVP level as the magic number drops.