The Hanshin Tigers are 2026 Central League champions, winning consecutive pennants for the first time in franchise history.

Hanshin clinched on Saturday night when the second-place Yomiuri Giants lost to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, 5-2, at Tokyo Dome. The Tigers entered the day with a magic number of one but had to wait after losing its own game in the afternoon against the Hiroshima Carp, 6-4, at Mazda Stadium.

Yomiuri led DeNA, 2-0, before the BayStars scored four runs in the seventh inning. Pinch hitter Keita Sano delivered a two-run single to tie the game, and Takeru Furuichi followed with the go-ahead hit.

The Giants’ loss ended the pennant race with four games remaining on Hanshin’s schedule. As is Osaka baseball tradition, Tigers fans gathered in the Dotonbori district to celebrate, with many jumping into the river.

Earlier in Hiroshima, Seishiro Sakamoto hit a solo home run, and Teruaki Sato added a three-run shot in the third inning to give Hanshin a 4-1 lead. However, starter Hiroto Saiki allowed four runs over three innings, and the Carp eventually broke a 4-4 tie against Rafael Dolis in the eighth.

The championship is Hanshin’s eighth since the Central League was established in 1950 and its 12th league title when including four from the one-league era. The Tigers have now finished first in three of the past four seasons, winning in 2023 under Akinobu Okada before taking the last two under Kyuji Fujikawa.

The second-year manager has led Hanshin to a 77-60-2 record, though this season’s pennant race was considerably closer than last year’s. The Tigers endured a seven-game losing streak in September as their rivals closed the gap, then recovered to secure the title in the final week of the regular season.

The superstar duo of Sato and Shota Morishita has again been the nucleus of the offense. Sato’s latest home run was his 39th, bringing his RBI total to 105. He entered the day batting .314 with a 215 OPS+, following a 2025 MVP campaign in which he led the CL with 40 homers and 102 RBI. He’s on track to win the CL Triple Crown this season.

Morishita entered Saturday with 35 home runs and a 200 OPS+, while Yusuke Ohyama had contributed 20 homers and a 155 OPS+. Hitting 3-4-5 in the batting order, they've been one of the most formidable trios in NPB history.

On the mound, southpaw Haruto Takahashi has put together a career-best season, going 16-3 with a 1.87 ERA over 159 frames. He earned his 16th win Wednesday against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, throwing eight scoreless innings, making him a strong favorite to win the Sawamura Award. Health has been the key for the 30-year-old, as his previous career high in innings was only 109 ⅔.

The 2023 CL MVP, Shoki Murakami, has also been integral, posting a 1.85 ERA over 180 ⅓ innings. Including Saiki, Hanshin has three frontline arms for the postseason.

In the bullpen, the emergence of flamethrower Taisei Kudo has been monumental, as Daichi Ishii was out until September, and several big contributors from last season, like Masaki Oyokawa and Takuma Kirishiki, are having down seasons. Kudo owns a 0.92 ERA with a 33.3% strikeout rate across 58 ⅔ innings while sitting over 98 mph on his fastball.

Hanshin will now turn its attention to the playoffs, receiving a first-round bye and hosting every game in the CL Climax Series Final Stage at Koshien Stadium beginning October 14. Its opponent will be the winner of the series between the Giants and the BayStars.

The Tigers will receive at least the traditional one-win advantage. Under new rules introduced this season, that would increase to two ghost wins if Hanshin faces DeNA and finishes at least 10 games ahead of the BayStars (they currently lead by eight games).

The ultimate goal is the franchise’s third Japan Series championship and its first since 2023, when they broke the so-called “Curse of the Colonel.” Hanshin reached the Japan Series last season but lost to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, 4-1. With both clubs repeating as regular-season champions, a rematch remains very much on the cards later in October.