Japan Series-winning manager Akiyama claims third Shoriki Award
Koji Akiyama, who won this year's Japan Series before leaving his post as Fukuoka Softbank Hawks skipper, was named the winner of the Matsutaro Shoriki Award for the third time on Wednesday. Akiyama won his first Shoriki as a star outfielder for the Pacific League's ...
Singular focus propels Hawks to Japan Series crown
On the podium after winning the Japan Series, standing before over 35,000 screaming Fukuoka Softbank Hawks fans, Seiichi Uchikawa dispelled one of the popular narratives of the Hawks' push for the title. The Hawks had been sad to hear (before the postseason) that manager Koji ...
Hawks eliminate Tigers on bizarre game-ending double play, capture Japan Series title
It wasn't the ending anyone envisioned, but the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks aren't complaining. They're the 2014 Japan Series champions, and that's the only thing that matters. Nobuhiro Matsuda put the Hawks in the lead with an RBI single in the eighth and a tightly contested game ...
Hawks manager Akiyama won't be in charge next season
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks manager Koji Akiyama, who guided the club to its first Pacific League championship in three years, announced Tuesday that he will step down from his post at the end of the season. Speaking at a news conference at Yafuoku Dome on the ...
Hawks edge Buffaloes in 10th, clinch PL title in final game of season
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks clinched the Pacific League championship on Thursday, when Nobuhiro Matsuda singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 2-1 win over the Orix Buffaloes. "I'm content," said Hawks skipper Koji Akiyama. "More than me, this ...
