The race to reach the postseason in the Pacific League will be a mad dash to the finish, with three teams jostling for two spots.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ win over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Sunday night left the standings tightly packed behind the Orix Buffaloes, who clinched the league title on Wednesday night.
SoftBank, which was chasing the Marines in the standings for weeks, finally moved into a tie for second place with Sunday’s win.