Hokkaido Nippon Ham slugger Sho Nakata knew what he had to do when the Pacific League champion was trailing four runs behind the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after the first inning of a crucial postseason game Sunday to decide who will advance to the Japan Series — never give up.
His thoughts resonated with his teammates, including right-hander Shohei Otani, who contributed to the team both on the mound and at the plate from the start to finish of the PL's Climax Series Final Stage.
"I thought I shouldn't give up until the very end," said Nakata, who was named the most valuable player of the series after hitting a solo home run in the second inning to ignite the Fighters' comeback.