Hawks relievers and coaches endure agony of 10th-inning collapse

For someone to experience the thrill of victory on the baseball diamond, another must be crushed by the agony of defeat.

That bell tolled for Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks relievers Yuki Tsumori and Ryosuke Otsu on Monday night at Zozo Marine Stadium, as they allowed four runs in the bottom of the 10th inning in the Hawks’ 4-3 loss against the Chiba Lotte Marines in the third and final game in the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series.

The Hawks entered the bottom of the 10th leading 3-0 and three outs away from advancing to the final stage of the Climax Series. They suddenly found themselves locked in a tie game after Tsumori allowed a pair of singles and a game-tying three-run home run from Yudai Fujioka to start the frame.