Terrmel Sledge hit a three-run home run and went 3-for-5 with four RBIs Wednesday, helping power the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in a 17-0 blowout of the Rakuten Eagles to clinch the third and final spot in the Climax Series.
Nippon Ham assured itself of third place with the win at Kleenex Stadium, which featured multi-hit nights from seven of the starting nine as the 2007 Pacific League champion set a club record with 28 hits.
The Fighters took a 7-0 lead through the third to send Masahiro Tanaka (9-7) to an early shower and piled on six runs with seven hits in the fifth. Makoto Kaneko, who also had four RBIs, hit a two-run drive in the seventh.