Hanshin Tigers win consecutive championships for the first time in team history

The Hanshin Tigers, who were crowned the Central League's magic number M1 before the game, lost to the Hiroshima Carp 4-6 today, but the Yomiuri Giants, who were second in the Central League, also lost to Yokohama DeNA 2-5, allowing the Tigers to successfully seal the title. This is the first time since the implementation of the two-league system that the Hanshin team has dominated the Central League.

The Hanshin Tigers once took a 4-1 lead thanks to main bat Teruaki Sato's three-pointer. However, in the third inning, the Hiroshima batters hit a three-pointer to tie the game. In the eighth inning, the Tigers' bullpen Rafael Dolis lost, and they eventually lost 4-6.

The Giants led 2-0 after the first 6 innings of the game. Unexpectedly, the Giants' bullpen collapsed in the 7th inning. They allowed 5 hits and 1 walk in a single inning, allowing Yokohama to score 4 runs. In the 8th inning, Kachi Tsutsuka hit a timely double to add 1 run, and in the end the Giants were defeated.

Japanese media "Sports Japan" reported that Hanshin Tigers director Fujikawa Tieji has won the league championship for two consecutive years since he took office last year. This is the 12th league victory in the history of the Tigers. The last time the Tigers won the league championship for two consecutive years was in the fall of 1937 and the spring of 1938 during the single league era.

Fujikawa Ball became the fifth coach in history to achieve consecutive league championships for the first time as a supervisor. He is also the first person to oversee a Central League team with a pitching background.

Tonight is the night when the Tigers are crowned king. As usual, the Dotonbori River in Osaka has once again become the center of Tiger fan carnival. When Hanshin was confirmed to be crowned king, some fans jumped into the river to celebrate Hanshin's consecutive victory in the Central League.