Hawks display tremendous depth, talent en route to Japan Series three-peat
The only thing left to do is marvel at the absolute playoff strength of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Simply calling them strong somehow feels inadequate. But the Hawks have rendered the extraordinary so mind-numbingly routine during the last several postseasons, purposeful simplicity is probably the ...
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate, who had season-ending hip surgery last April, will begin the 2019 season still undergoing rehab, the team said Saturday. The 37-year-old right-hander was the Pacific League's MVP in 2017 when he established an NPB record with 54 saves. He ...
Hawks closer Yuito Mori prepared well for pressure-packed playoff games
Hawks closer Yuito Mori was accompanying his two baby children on the way to the parking lot after the team's 5-4 extra-inning win in Game 5 of the Japan Series at Yafuoku Dome on Thursday night. He was certainly a proud dad. Popular star Yuki Yanagita ...
Regular routine keeps Carp reliever Jay Jackson in groove
Jay Jackson likes being a relief pitcher. He also likes being a relief pitcher in Japan, which is convenient, since the 30-year-old is in the middle of his third season with the Hiroshima Carp. Jackson has seen a lot during his time in NPB, and ...
Kiyomiya shows off power on farm
After a slow start to his first season as a professional, Kotaro Kiyomiya provided fans with a small glimpse of what made him the most sought-after player in last fall's NPB draft. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie hit his first two pro home runs ...
Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate to return to U.S. to have hip examined
Dennis Sarfate, who saved a Japan-record 54 games last season, and left fielder Akira Nakamura were both deactivated on Wednesday by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Sarfate is suffering from stiffness in his right hip and will return to the United States in the coming days ...
SoftBank's Dennis Sarfate, Hiroshima's Yoshihiro Maru win NPB MVP awards
Dennis Sarfate considers himself a traditionalist, and as such, he might not have cast a ballot for himself, a reliever, in the MVP race. It's probably a good thing he didn't have a say then. Sarfate may or may not have given himself a vote, but ...
Hawks reliever Dennis Sarfate named Matsutaro Shoriki Award recipient
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate on Thursday became just the second player to win the prestigious Matsutaro Shoriki Award in 16 years and the first foreign-registered player. The award, sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun and named after the man who was the driving force ...
Masterful Hawks again soar over baseball rivals
At the end of another NPB season, the Japanese baseball world is again wondering how to beat these Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. After Saturday night's dramatic 11-inning 4-3 sayonara victory over the Yokohama BayStars in Game 6 of the Japan Series clinched another title, the dynastic ...
Hawks capture Japan Series crown on Keizo Kawashima's sayonara single in 11th
There will be no Game 7. Seiichi Uchikawa, Dennis Sarfate and Keizo Kawashima made sure of that, and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and their fans breathed big sighs of relief before succumbing to the joy and elation of winning the Japan Series. Uchikawa hit a game-tying ...
Early scoring, lockdown bullpen carry Hawks to Game 3 triumph over BayStars
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the first two games of the Japan Series with a blowout and a dramatic late-inning comeback. To get the third, they just had to hang on. Run-scoring hits by Seiichi Uchikawa and Hiroaki Takaya gave the Hawks an early lead, and ...
Dennis Sarfate feels collapse in 2016 motivated Hawks this season
Dennis Sarfate showed up early to practice on his day off. After recording the save in the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' thrilling 4-3 win over the Yokohama BayStars in Game 2 of the Japan Series, Sarfate and his father, who is in Japan to watch the ...
