Eight big innings from ace pitcher Kodai Senga and home runs from Alfredo Despaigne and Richard Sunagawa, saw the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks snap their eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 come-from-behind win over the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes on Sunday.
On the same day reports surfaced that Hawks skipper Kimiyasu Kudo intends to resign at season's end to take responsibility for the club's poor performance, the fourth-place Hawks came from a run down in the first at PayPay Dome. The win moved them to within 5½ games of third place and the PL's final playoff spot.
The Hawks have won five of the last six Japan Series under Kudo and have not finished worse than second since 2013, the last year they failed to make the postseason.