Overview

• SoftBank beat Rakuten 8–3 on Sept. 24 to end a four-game losing streak, with Moinelo throwing seven innings of one-run ball for a career-high 12th win.
• The win reduced the Hawks’ pennant-clinching number to 4, with second-place Nippon-Ham not playing.
• The slump started with four straight home losses to Orix to open a pivotal nine-game stretch, including consecutive shutouts despite multiple opportunities.
• Manager Yuki Kokubo said the team “can’t score” and expressed hope that a change of venue would lift the team’s mood before the Rakuten series.
• In the Sept. 23 loss, Orix’s Daishi Hirooka crashed through the PayPay Dome center-field fence while chasing a deep drive, causing a brief stoppage; he was uninjured and play resumed after emergency repairs.