The day before this Japan Series was scheduled to start, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate said his team had the best starting rotation, best lineup and best bullpen in the league.
It's hard to argue with him after the way SoftBank opened the series.
Yuya Hasegawa hit a two-run home run and was one of four Hawks with at least two RBIs, Kodai Senga silenced Yokohama's bats and the Hawks rode a seven-run fifth inning to a 10-1 rout of the BayStars in Game 1 of the 2017 Japan Series on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 36,183 at Yafuoku Dome.