SAPPORO — The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters are facing some serious issues as their Climax Series gets underway on Wednesday at Sapporo Dome.
Issues such as the absence of 15-game-winner Yu Darvish, who has been suffering from right shoulder strain and lower back pain, and their second-stage opponents, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, who will march into Hokkaido with a lot of momentum carried over from the first stage.
But for the players, there is nothing they can do about those things.