The final stage of the Central League Climax Series was all about clutch plays. More so, the ones the Hanshin Tigers made at the plate and all over the field, and the stench of missed opportunity that lingered after most of the Yomiuri Giants' half-innings.

The Tigers "swept" their archrivals to win the series (the official tally was 4-1 due to the Giants' automatic one game advantage), extracting a bit of revenge for being swept out of Koshien Stadium in the first stage in 2010, but each game hinged on one or two plays. A Yomiuri hit here, or catch there, and the end result could've been much different.

"That's it," said Tom O'Malley, one of the Hanshin hitting coaches. "They had opportunities, runners in scoring position just like we did. We got the ones that counted. That takes a lot of pressure off your pitching, and sure enough, we had good pitching, played some good defense and got some timely hits. Those are the ingredients for a successful series. I'm just happy for all the players."