The Nippon Professional Baseball postseason marched on with Games 2 and 3 of the Climax Series Final Stage on Thursday and Friday night.

In the Pacific League, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched a third consecutive Japan Series berth after sweeping the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters, led by Ryoya Kurihara’s walk-off grand slam in Game 2 and Tomoya Masaki’s go-ahead two-run shot in Game 3.

In the Central League, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars stayed undefeated and moved within one win of advancing, handing an injury-hit Hanshin Tigers team three straight shutout losses.

Game 2: Hawks 6, Fighters 2

The Fighters scored twice against Naoyuki Uwasawa in the first, with Kotaro Kiyomiya driving in a run on an RBI single and another scoring on Chusei Mannami’s double play.

SoftBank drew even in the third on Masaki’s RBI double and Kensuke Kondoh’s RBI single. Both pitching staffs kept the game tied 2-2 through the eighth.

In the ninth, Nipponham intentionally walked Kondoh to load the bases with one out. NPB home run king Kurihara then drove Ren Fukushima’s fastball into the right-center-field seats for a walk-off grand slam, becoming only the second player to do so in Climax Series history, following Terrmel Sledge in 2009.

The homer gave the Hawks a 6-2 victory and a 4-0 series lead, including their two ghost wins, putting them one win away from their third straight Japan Series appearance.

Game 3: Hawks 6, Fighters 2

Kiyomiya’s first-inning RBI single gave the Fighters an early lead, but Yudai Shoji tied the game for the Hawks with an RBI single in the third.

Tatsuki Mizuno’s RBI infield single put Nipponham back ahead in the fifth. Shoji then doubled in the bottom half, and Masaki followed with a two-run homer off Takayuki Katoh to give SoftBank a 3-2 lead.

Yugo Maeda finished his postseason debut after five innings, allowing two runs. SoftBank added two runs in the sixth on Yudai Yamamoto’s RBI triple and Tatsuru Yanagimachi’s RBI single, followed by Taisei Makihara’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Four Hawks relievers combined for four scoreless innings, with Kazuki Sugiyama striking out Yuya Gunji to finish the ninth and complete the sweep. SoftBank secured its third consecutive Japan Series appearance and eliminated Nipponham in the Final Stage for the third straight year.

Including their two automatic wins, the Hawks finished the series 5-0. Shoji was named series MVP after going 5 for 11 with two RBI, becoming the first No. 9 hitter in Climax Series history to win the award.

Game 2: BayStars 1, Tigers 0

Hanshin entered Game 2 without Teruaki Sato, who was left off the lineup after exiting the opener with an apparent injury.

BayStars starter Shuto Ogata allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Meanwhile, Sawamura Award favorite Haruto Takahashi kept DeNA scoreless through seven.

But the Tigers suffered another blow in the sixth when Shota Morishita experienced discomfort in his right hamstring while running to first and left the game, heading to the hospital for imaging.

Then, with the game still scoreless in the eighth, Shugo Maki hit a two-out solo homer — his third of the postseason — off Takahashi to put DeNA ahead, silencing the home crowd.

Hanshin threatened in the ninth, using a double steal to put runners on second and third with only one away. But Sean Reynolds escaped the jam for the second straight game, striking out Seiya Kinami and retiring Torai Fushimi on a grounder to finish the shutout.

The Tigers managed only two hits as DeNA took a 2-1 series lead, quickly overcoming Hanshin’s automatic one-win advantage.

Game 3: BayStars 4, Tigers 0

With Sato and Morishita now both out of the starting lineup, Hanshin took yet another injury in the second inning when Ukyo Maekawa was hit on the left hand and left the game. Manager Kyuji Fujikawa later said he had been diagnosed with a fracture.

Keita Sano opened the scoring in the third with a three-run shot off Hiroto Saiki, putting the Tigers in a hole again and giving rookie Hiromi Katayama all the support he needed.

The southpaw allowed just two hits over seven scoreless frames, striking out eight and allowing no walks in the biggest game of his career. Maki extended DeNA’s lead to 4-0 with yet another homer in the eighth, and Hiromu Ise and Jose Ruiz each pitched a clean inning to finish the shutout.

Hanshin became the first team in NPB postseason history to suffer three consecutive shutout losses, going scoreless through all 27 innings of the Final Stage so far.

DeNA now leads the series 3-1 and remains unbeaten in five postseason games after sweeping the Yomiuri Giants in the First Stage and needs one more win to reach the Japan Series.

After winning the title from third place in 2024, the BayStars have another Cinderella run within reach. The Hawks vs. BayStars would be a rematch of the 2024 Nippon Series.

The Tigers can still come from behind to reach the Japan Series in back-to-back years, but Sato and Morishita's status remains unknown as they battle day-to-day injuries. Morishita was able to pinch-hit in the seventh inning of Game 3, but Sato has not appeared in two straight games despite participating in pregame activities.