Kenji Otonari threw seven scoreless innings and Toru Hosokawa homered as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks defeated the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 4-1 in Game 6 of the Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage on Monday night to book a spot in the Japan Series.
Softbank, which had a one-win advantage as the PL champion, won the series 4-3 and will play in the Japan Series for the first time since 2011, when it won the title.
The Hawks will face the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Series starting Saturday. Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played at the Tigers' home, Koshien Stadium.