The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka,Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22,1938,as the Nankai Club,being the first Kansai team to play in Osaka proper,the team went through a few name changes before settling on Nankai Hawks in 1947,eventually changing ownership in 1988 and moving to Fukuoka in 1989. The team subsequently became known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks until 2005,when they were purchased by SoftBank Group,becoming the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Since 1993,the Hawks have played at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka,which has gone under several name changes and seats 40,142 people.
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters is a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima,Hokkaidō,in the Sapporo metropolitan area. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball,playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,including Hakodate,Asahikawa,Kushiro,and Obihiro. The team's name comes from its parent organization,Nippon Ham,a major Japanese food-processing company.
The 2006 Japan Series,the 57th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series,began on October 21 and ended on October 26,and matched the Central League champion Chunichi Dragons against the Pacific League champion,Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The Fighters won the Series in five games,taking Games 2,3,4 and 5.
Sho Nakata,nicknamed "Sho Time",is a Japanese professional baseball player playing for the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He plays outfield and first base.
The 2008 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters season was the 63rd season of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters franchise. The Fighters played the majority of their home games at Sapporo Dome in the city of Sapporo,as well as at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo as members of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League. The team was led by Masataka Nashida on his first season as team manager.
Brandon J. Laird,nicknamed "Sushi Boy",is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He has played for the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB),and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Mitsuo Yoshikawa is a Japanese professional baseball player. A pitcher,he plays for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Haruki Nishikawa is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Kensuke Kondoh is a Japanese professional baseball catcher,outfielder,and third baseman for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Shingo Ishikawa,nicknamed "Dynamite Shingo",is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder of the Chiba Lotte Marines for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played in NPB for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Yomiuri Giants.
Kohei Arihara is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and in NPB for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Ryo Watanabe is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in MLB for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Katsuhiko Kumon is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions. He previously played in NPB for the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Seigi Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after being drafted in 2016.
Conner Scott Menez is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He played college baseball at The Master's University and was drafted by the Giants in the 14th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.
Es Con Field Hokkaido is a baseball stadium located in Kitahiroshima,Hokkaido,Japan. The ballpark is owned by and operated by Nippon Ham,which has used it as the home field for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) since its opening in 2023. Designed by Obayashi Corporation and HKS Architects,the stadium has capacity for 35,000 people. It is Japan's second retractable roof facility and its asymmetrical playing surface is only the third natural turf field in NPB. The area immediately surrounding the stadium is being developed into Hokkaido Ballpark F Village,an entertainment district that holds commercial facilities and restaurants.
The 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 73rd season of professional baseball in Japan since Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) was reorganized in 1950. There are 12 NPB teams,split evenly between the Central League and Pacific League.
Yukiya Saitoh is a professional Japanese baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Hanshin Tigers.
Takehiro Hasegawa is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
The 2024 Pacific League Climax Series was a set of two consecutive playoff series in Nippon Professional Baseball. The first stage began on October 12th and the final stage concluded on October 18th. The first stage was a best-of-three series between the second-place Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the third-place Chiba Lotte Marines. The final stage was a best-of-six against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks,the Pacific League (PL) champion,being awarded a one-win advantage against the Fighters,the eventual winner of the first stage. The Hawks advanced to the 2024 Japan Series to compete against the winner of the 2024 Central League Climax Series,the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
