Keita Nakagawa singled in the winning run in the ninth inning as the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes advanced to the Japan Series with a 3-2 walk-off win over the SoftBank Hawks on Saturday.
Nakagawa's two-out single off closer Livan Moinelo at Kyocera Dome Osaka clinched the best-of-seven Climax Series final stage. Orix, which began with a one-win advantage as league champ and played all the games at home, won the series 4-1.
The win sets up a Japan Series rematch with the Central League champion Yakult Swallows, who won last year's championship in seven games over the Buffaloes. Game 1 will be next Saturday at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium.