Kazuhiro Wada drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Chunichi Dragons beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-3 on Saturday to earn their first trip to the Japan Series in three years.
Wada drove home Ryoji Nakata from second with a one-out line drive that went over the outstretched glove of left fielder Alex Ramirez at Nagoya Dome.
The Central League champion Dragons won the final stage of the Climax Series four games to one against the third-place Giants.
Chunichi will face the Chiba Lotte Marines in the best-of-seven Japan Series which begins next Saturday in Nagoya.
The Giants rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3 on Kenji Yano's run-scoring double and an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Tetsuya Matsumoto.
Oswalt ready to go
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Roy Oswalt has already done it all this series.
He pitched superbly as a starter, got a key hit, made a daring baserunning decision and even came out of the bullpen.
Now the Philadelphia Phillies are counting on him.
Oswalt gets the ball for Game 6 on Saturday when the Phillies try to even the NLCS against San Francisco.
He'll be back in a familiar role after an unsuccessful guest appearance as a reliever, and he'll be right at home in a ballpark where he's never lost.
