Congratulations DeNA BayStars and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks fans, your teams finished the NPB marathon in third place and qualified for the postseason.
Even if DeNA and SoftBank each had a higher seed slip through their fingers on the final day of their respective league’s season, they still have a chance to win the Japan Series and the teams below them do not.
The regular season is a grind, and making the postseason is a great reward — it just might not feel like it from the base of Mount Fuji.