For the second night in a row, Yoshio Itoi bashed the ball beyond the fences. And with it, the Fighters are one win away from reaching their first Japan Series in three years.
With Hokkaido Nippon Ham leading 1-0, Itoi launched an insurance two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh as the Fighters sank the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 3-0 in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series final stage on Thursday night at Sapporo Dome.
Having entered the final stage with an automatic one-win advantage, the regular-season champion Fighters are now up 3-0 in the series.