The Pacific League playoffs, Japan Series’ quarterfinals and semifinals, are over with the SoftBank Hawks advancing to the final for the first time in four years. They have won six of the last 10 Japan Series, having been knocked out in the playoffs by Shohei Ohtani’s Fighters in 2016 and by the Orix Buffaloes the past three.

SoftBank’s three-game sweep of the six-game series against the second-place Nippon Ham Fighters, accomplished with the help of their automatic one-win advantage as league champs, was dominated by Hotaka Yamakawa and Kensuke Kondo.