While the Buffaloes had a few options with whom they'd start for the first game, Hokkaido Nippon Ham's choice was clear-cut: Yu Darvish.
Giving up just one run and fanning 14 in a 4-1 win over Orix, the 22-year-old MVP hurler showed a gutsy performance on the mound, giving the Fighters a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Pacific League Climax Series playoffs.
But the victory didn't necessarily come easily for Darvish, who notched a spectacular 16-4 record with a 1.88 ERA and 208 Ks in the regular season.