The Japan Series has gone from a best-of-seven to a best-of-three.
Hiroki Kokubo's RBI single in the first inning and reliever Masahiko Morifuku's Herculean effort in the sixth helped the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks hold off the Chunichi Dragons for a 2-1 victory in Game 4 of the Japan Series on Wednesday at Nagoya Dome.
"This was a really tough game," Hawks manager Koji Akiyama said. "We had just enough to get by and hang on for the win."