The Hawks announced today that they will hold public viewings for the Final Stage of the Climax Series at Yahoo Dome.  Admission will be free.

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Seats Reserved infield seat area

Entrance Gate 3

Schedule

* Games 4, 5, and 6 will depend on the results of the first three games.

Events

• There will be pre-game performances by the team mascots and cheer-leading squad.
• The stadium DJ will announce the starting line-ups.
• Jet balloons in the 7th inning.
• Fireworks if the Hawks win.

Source: official announcement

Softbank Hawks

Shota Takeda is the third rookie out of high school to pitch in a playoff or Climax Series games. Of the three, Takeda is the only one that made his appearance as a starter.

There have been five rookie pitchers out of high school in NPB history that started Nippon Series games: Taisei Nakamura (1953; Gm 2 = Loss); Kazuhisa Inao (1956; Gm 2 = Loss; Gm 6 = Win); Tsuneo Horiuchi (1966; Gm 2 = Loss); Kazuhisa Ishii (1992; Gm 3 = Loss); and Mitsuo Yoshikawa (2007; Gm 4 = Loss).  Takeda is the sixth pitcher to start a post-season game and the fourth straight to suffer a loss.

Source: Nikkan Sports 10/15/2012

Nippon Ham Fighters

According to a Sanspo report filed at 5am this morning, Yuki Saito was not included in the list of fourteen pitchers (eleven will be on the active roster) returning to Sapporo Dome on Monday, which means he most likely will not be participating in the Final Stage of the Climax Series.  Source: Sanspo 10/15/2012

A Nikkan Sports filed about five hours later mentions that Hideki Kuriyama could use Saito out of the bullpen, especially if the series goes to four, five, or six games and the bullpen runs a little thin.  As of now, it seems he is scheduled to rejoin the team in Sapporo after his Phoenix League start against Hanshin on Tuesday.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/15/2012

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Hisashi Takeda threw twenty-eight pitches in the bullpen on Sunday.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/15/2012

Yakult Swallows

According to Sanspo, the Swallows were originally planning to go Shohei Tateyama, Masanori Ishikawa, and Kyohei Muranaka, but decided to swap the first two pitchers because they were concerned about Tateyama's right elbow (fatigue) and wanted to give him an extra day of rest.  Source: Sanspo 10/15/2012

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Wladimir Balentien homered in his second straight game on Sunday and became the first Swallow to do that during the post-season since Mitsuru Manaka during the 2001 Nippon Series.

Balentien's family left Japan after the regular season.

Source: Sanspo 10/15/2012

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The Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons 1-0 on Sunday using four different pitchers.  There have been five playoff/Climax Series games that ended in 1-0 scores and Sunday's game was the first in CL history.  Including the Nippon Series, eighteen.  The breakdown on the numbers of pitchers used in those eighteen games: ten complete games; two pitchers in five games; three pitchers in one game; and four pitchers in two games.

Balentien also became just the second player in playoff/Climax Series history (or sixth if you include the entire post-season like the Nippon Series) to hit a decisive home run in a 1-0 game.  The other player was Junichi Kashiwabara in 1981.

Source: Sponichi 10/15/2012, Nikkan Sports 10/15/2012

Yomiuri Giants

Tetsuya Utsumi will most likely get start Game 1 of the Final Stage of the Climax Series.  Source: Sanspo 10/15/2012

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Yoshinobu Takahashi could end up batting fifth during the Final Stage of the Climax Series.  He has gone 5-for-9 in three games since the end of the regular season.  Source: Daily Sports 10/15/2012, Sponichi 10/15/2012

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Yoshiyuki Kamei most likely won a spot on the Final Stage roster.  Source: Sponichi 10/15/2012

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks vs Saitama Seibu Lions @ Seibu Dome - 18:00
Announced Starters: Kenji Otonari (SOF) 12-8, 2.03 - Kazuhisa Ishii (SEI) 10-5, 3.33

Attendance: 25002 | Softbank leads series, 2-1-0 | Time: 3:23

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Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs Chunichi Dragons @ Nagoya Dome - 18:00
Possible Starters: Kyohei Muranaka (YAK) 10-7, 3.88 - Shinji Iwata (CHU) 5-5, 2.74

Attendance: 23264 | Chunichi leads series, 2-1-0 | Time: 3:39

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The media learned on Sunday that someone posted a bomb threat against Seibu Dome on the popular 2-chan bulletin boards sometime on Saturday morning.  According to Tokorozawa police and the Seibu organization, the user threatened to blow up Seibu Dome unless the Softbank-Seibu game was canceled.

Police and stadium staff were increased for Saturday and Sunday's games.  No suspicious activity was uncovered.  Officials will stay on alert for Monday's game.

Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

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UPDATE 10/15 @ 6:13pm - Some additional notes...

• The post was made at around 3:30am on Saturday.
• Twenty-six police officers, in addition to team staff, patrolled the area around Seibu Dome on Saturday and Sunday.

Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

Softbank Hawks

Wily Mo Pena is now 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in two Climax Series games.  When reporters asked Koji Akiyama what he thought of Pena's performances, he said it looked like he was sleeping.  Source: Sanspo 10/14/2012

Nippon Ham Fighters

Hisashi Takeda and Naoki Miyanishi tossed bullpen sessions at Kamagaya today.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

Chunichi Dragons

Motonobu Tanishige is now hitless in his last fifty-three post-season trips to the plate.

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Morimichi Takagi could end up making major changes to the batting order for Game 3.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

Yomiuri Giants

The Giants will begin workouts for the Final Stage of the Climax Series at Tokyo Dome on Monday.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

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Starters Tetsuya Utsumi, Toshiya Sugiuchi, Dennis Houlton, Yuki Koyama, and Ryosuke Miyaguni worked out at Giants Stadium today.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

Softbank Hawks

Kenta Imamiya on successfully executing a squeeze bunt on Saturday: "I laid down a squeeze for the first time since turning pro.  I did not execute one in high school either.  I was pretty nervous."  Source: Sanspo 10/14/2012

Imamiya is the ninth player player to record a squeeze bunt in playoff/Climax Series history.  He is the first to successfully execute a squeeze bunt in his first career playoff/Climax Series trip to the plate.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

Nippon Ham Fighters

Yuya Ishii threw twenty-nine pitches in the bullpen at Kamagaya on Saturday.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012

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Sho Nakata went 0-for-3 on Saturday and is 5-for-10 in three Phoenix League games.

Hideki Kuriyama told reporters that he does not plan to live and die with Nakata and will swap him out if he feels that is the best move to make.  He also said that his one wish for the First Stage of the Climax Series was for it to go to three games.

Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

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Atsunori Inaba went 3-for-3 with four RBI during a Phoenix League game against the Shikoku IL on Saturday -- two-run single to center in the 1st inning; two-run triple to right in the 3rd inning; and a single to left in the 5th inning.  Source: Sports Hochi 10/14/2012, Sponichi 10/14/2012, Daily Sports 10/14/2012

Seibu Lions

The Lions may have wanted to send Hisashi Takayama in to pinch-hit for Tatsuyuki  Uemoto in the bottom of the 9th on Saturday, but could not because they only had two catchers on the roster.  Takayama did end up making it into the game, but not until after Uemoto pop out to short for the second out of the inning.

Seibu added a third catcher to the roster today: Takanori Hoshi.

Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

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The Lions opened the stadium gates thirty minutes earlier than scheduled because about 3,000 fans were lined-up near the front entrance of Seibu Dome by around 10am on Saturday.  Source: Sanspo 10/14/2012

Chunichi Dragons

As of the end of Saturday's game, Motonobu Tanishige was hitless in forty-nine post-season trips to the plate.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

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On Saturday, at forty years and three months, Kazuhiro Wada joined Isao Harimoto (forty years and three months) and Takeshi Yamasaki (forty years and eleven months) as the only players over forty to hit a home run in a playoff or Climax Series game.  Source: Sports Hochi Osaka 10/14/2012

As of the end of the Satuday's game, Wada is batting .318 with seven home runs and twenty-two RBI over thirty-seven playoff/Climax Series games.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

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According to Nikkan Sports, the Dragons thought the Yakult Swallows were going to start Shohei Tateyama on Saturday and set their line-up accordingly.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

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Former manager Hiromitsu Ochiai was in the broadcast booth for Game 1.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

Yakult Swallows

Chief pitching coach Daisuke Araki on Masanori Ishikawa starting Game 1: "[Ishikawa] looked good during his last outing.  Everyone was thinking [Shohei Tateyama], but we felt either would be fine."  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

Yomiuri Giants

Hirokazu Sawamura started a practice game against the LG Twins on Saturday and tossed four shutout innings while allowing one hit -- he recorded eleven consecutive outs before giving up a hit in the 4th.  He topped out at 149km/h, struck out four, and recorded six ground ball outs.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012, Sanspo 10/13/2012, Nikkan Sports 10/14/2012

Sawamura may have won himself a start during the Final Stage of the Climax Series (Game 3 or 4).  Source: Sanspo 10/14/2012

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Yoshiyuki Kamei played in a game practice against the LG Twins (KBO) on Saturday (batted seventh, first base) and went 1-for-4.  Source: Sanspo 10/14/2012

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Yoshinobu Takahashi collected two hits and Shuichi Murata hit a triple during Saturday's game against the LG Twins.  Source: Sponichi 10/14/2012

Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs Chunichi Dragons @ Nagoya Dome - 14:00
Possible Starters: Shohei Tateyama (YAK) 12-8, 2.25 - Soma Yamauchi (CHU) 10-7, 2.43

Attendance: 33852 | Series tied, 1-1-0 | Time: 3:26

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Fukuoka Softbank Hawks vs Saitama Seibu Lions @ Seibu Dome - 13:00
Announced Starters: Shota Takeda (SOF) 8-1, 1.07 - Takayuki Kishi (SEI) 11-12, 2.45

Attendance: 33918 | Series tied, 1-1-0 | Time: 3:23

(continue reading...)

Softbank Hawks

Tadashi Settsu tossed eight shutout innings against the Lions today.  Over his career, Settsu has pitched extremely well at Seibu Dome.  In twenty regular season games, he is 7-0 with three holds and a 1.52 ERA.  And during the post-season play, he is 2-0 record with two holds and a save over eight games (does not include today's results).  Source: Sports Hochi 10/13/2012

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Koji Akiyama borrowed Wily Mo Pena's bat during workouts at Seibu Dome on Friday and took some batting practice -- he had trouble reaching the fences but did manage to yank one out on his twenty-eighth swing.  Source: Sponichi 10/13/2012

Nippon Ham Fighters

Sho Nakata played in a practice game against the Hanwha Eagles (KBO) on Friday and hit an RBI double in the 1st inning, a single to right in the 5th inning, and a double to left in the 6th inning.  Source: Sponichi 10/13/2012, Sanspo 10/13/2012

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Masaru Nakamura started the practice game against Hanwha on Friday and gave up a run (unearned) on two hits over five innings of work.  Source: Sanspo 10/13/2012, Sanspo 10/13/2012

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Brian Wolfe threw seventy-four pitches in the bullpen on Friday.  He could start Game 3 of the Final Stage of the Climax Series.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/012

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The Fighters' team hotel in Miyazaki does not have access to the Climax Series games.  As such, the team will be setting up monitors in the dinning area where players can watch recorded footage of the games.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012

Seibu Lions

Takeya Nakamura took forty-eight swings during batting practice on Friday and hit seven over the fence.  Source: Sponichi 10/13/2012

Chunichi Dragons

Morimichi Takagi told reporters on Friday that Takeshi Yamasaki is a part of his Climax Series plans, most likely as a power bat off the bench.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012

Takagi will not be afraid to go to his bullpen if his starters falter.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012

Yakult Swallows

If Yuhei Nakamura (22) gets to start a game during the post-season, he could set a new franchise record for youngest catcher to start a post-season game.  The current record of twenty-seven years and two months was set by Atsuya Furuta in 1992.  Source: Sanspo 10/13/2012

Yomiuri Giants

Starting pitchers Tetsuya Utsumi, Toshiya Sugiuchi, Dennis Houlton, Yuki Koyama, and Ryosuke Miyaguni worked out at Giants Stadium today.  Workouts included fielding/bunt practices, running, and playing catch.  After practices, Utsumi, Koyama, and Miyaguni spent some time signing autographs.  Source: Nikkan Sports 10/13/2012

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Team chairman Tsuneo Watanabe, speaking about the Giants and the Final Stage of the Climax Series during a pep-rally gathering on Friday: "If the series goes until the 22nd, the money the Giants earn, Tokyo Dome earns...  It will be great for business.  That is good, but please do not make my heart beat harder unnecessarily."  Source: Sponichi 10/13/2012

And if the Giants win the Nippon Series, they will most likely get another parade in Ginza.  Source: Sponichi 10/13/2012/