All the Tokyo Yakult Swallows had to do was beat the Hanshin Tigers to wrap up a spot in the Central League Climax Series.
It didn't turn out to be quite that easy, but it's hard to argue with the results.
Starter Masanori Ishikawa got a lot of help from his teammates as he pitched Yakult into the playoffs with 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball as the Swallows clinched third place in the Central League with a 3-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Friday at Jingu Stadium.
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