Overview

• Lotte closer Naoya Masuda fractured his left hand by punching a locker after an Aug. 19 blown save, underwent surgery, was dropped from the active roster, and now faces a multi‑month absence that pushes his 250‑save bid to next season, according to Mainichi and team statements.
• On Sept. 6, a Lotte public‑relations official said medical staff viewed a 2025 return as unlikely, clarifying the timeline of Masuda’s setback as outlets confirmed he remains two saves shy of the milestone.
• Chunichi’s pitching slide produced consecutive losses that erased realistic second‑place hopes, and a Sept. 19 defeat locked in a fifth straight B‑class finish despite a late push earlier in the summer.
• Dragons home attendance reached 2,448,207 through Sept. 19, the club’s highest total since official counting began in 2005, underscoring strong turnout despite on‑field struggles.
• SoftBank rallied past Nippon-Ham on Sept. 18 behind a game‑tying homer from Ryoya Kurihara and late runs, stretching its lead to 4.5 games and reducing the championship magic number to 7.