Livan Moinelo thrust both arms in the air as he walked off the mound, unable to mask the bewilderment in his eyes. Yuki Yanagita wore a wide smile as he ran in from left field. In the crowd, almost 40,000 people groaned in unison, except for the pocket of jubilant Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks fans who were situated high up in the left field stands.
At the center of it all was Hawks shortstop Kenta Imamiya, who picked himself up off the ground and flipped the ball to Yanagita after making a spectacular play that helped SoftBank win Game 3 of this Japan Series, and one that may live on in team lore if the club goes on to capture the championship.
Imamiya was a core member of some of the Hawks’ past title teams. He is at a different point in his career now, but he turned back the clock to help his club secure a 2-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers and a 2-1 lead in the series on Tuesday.
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