SoftBank Hawks Win the Interleague Title as PL Teams Dominate Their CL Rivals
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players congratulate one another after their 3-1 win over the Hanshin Tigers on June 22, 2025, at Koshien Stadium. (©KYODO)
Interleague play wrapped up on Tuesday, June 24 when the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Yomiuri Giants 6-4, a fitting end that reflected the dominance of the Pacific League.
It was the 63rd win for Pacific League teams, who wrapped up a winning record for the third straight season against their Central League rivals. CL teams won 43 games in the 2025 interleague schedule.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the interleague title with a record of 12 wins, five losses and one tie.
In addition, the Pacific League teams held down the top six spots in the interleague standings while the Central League teams, led by the Hiroshima Carp at 9-9, were at positions seven through 12.
The Carp were the only CL team that managed a .500 record in interleague. And the Tokyo Yakult Swallows had the worst record at 5-12-1.
The good news for the Hanshin Tigers is because every team in the CL played poorly during the interleague games, they remained atop the Central League standings. Livan Moinelo (KYODO)
One of the standouts for the Hawks during interleague and all season has been Cuban lefty Livan Moinelo.
On Friday, June 13, Moinelo struck out 13 batters and allowed just one run over the distance as the Hawks beat the defending Japan Series champion Yokohama DeNA BayStars 4-1.
The 29-year-old Moinelo scattered three hits and did not issue a walk at Mizuho PayPay Dome as he pitched his first complete game of the season to improve to 6-0.
On June 6, Moinelo struck out 18 batters over eight innings before being taken out with a 2-0 lead only to see two SoftBank relievers give up three runs in the final two innings for the 3-2 10-inning loss to the Swallows. The Hawks' Tatsuru Yanagimachi (KYODO)
Meanwhile, SoftBank outfielder Tatsuru Yanagimachi was named MVP of the interleague competition after he compiled a stellar .397 batting average and a .474 on-base percentage in the 18 games.
"It's my first title in my career so I'm very honored," Yanagimachi said. "The team really came together during these games. I was just one piece of the puzzle but was happy to contribute."
The 11-time Japan Series champion Hawks have moved up to third place in the PL standings with a 36-29-3 record (heading into the weekend of June 27-29), just three games behind the front-running Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters. Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami in a September 2024 file photo. (©SANKEI)
It's been a tough season so far for the last-place Swallows (19-43-3) and slugger Munetaka Murakami.
The 2022 Triple Crown winner has played in only one game this season due to an upper body injury.
The 25-year-old Murakami, who is in the final year of a three-year-contract, has stated he wants to go to the major leagues next season but his injury could complicate things.
Still, the Swallows reiterated on Wednesday, June 25 that they remain supportive of such a move.
"We will apply [for the move via the posting system] if he says he wants to go," club president Tetsuya Hayashida said, according to Kyodo News. Yokohama DeNA BayStars right-hander Trevor Bauer pitches against the Chiba Lotte Marines on June 22 at Yokohama Stadium. (©SANKEI)
Former NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer continues to have an up-and-down season for the BayStars.
At times, Bauer has looked brilliant, mowing down batters with relative ease.
But that wasn't the case on Sunday, June 22 when Bauer (4-6) lasted only one-plus inning while giving up seven runs on eight hits to take the loss in a 10-9 defeat at the hands of the Marines.
It was 7-3 when Bauer left for an early shower at Yokohama Stadium. The BayStars managed to score nine runs through the first five innings but could not close the gap in the wild interleague game. Saitama Seibu Lions infielder Tyler Nevin delivers an RBI single in the first inning against the Hanshin Tigers on June 12 at Belluna Dome. (©SANKEI)
The Seibu Lions and first baseman/outfielder Tyler Nevin have agreed to a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2027 season, the club announced on Monday, June 23.
A 28-year-old former major leaguer, Nevin has performed well in his first season in Japan, driving in 32 runs while batting .269 with five homers in 68 games.
He was the PL Player of the Month for May.
Nevin, the son of former Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin, played for the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics between 2021 and 2024.
"We want him to play a central role for the Lions for a long time," senior Lions official Koji Hiroike said in a statement.
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook .
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