SoftBank Beats Nippon-Ham 6–2 to Win Final Stage Game 3

Updated October 16, 2026, after the official final. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 6–2 in Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage Game 3 at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) records the game as finished at 9:02 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+09:00), or 12:02 p.m. UTC on October 16. The result gave SoftBank the fifth win required under the Final Stage format and secured the Hawks’ place in the Japan Series.

Final score and game details

NPB’s official Game 3 score page records the final score, inning-by-inning runs, hits, errors, pitching decisions, and batting orders. Its English schedule entry lists the Final Stage matchup and its scheduled 6:00 p.m. start in Fukuoka. The scheduled time and the finish time refer to the same October 16 event; both local and UTC labels are included for readers following from other time zones.

How SoftBank built the 6–2 win

Nippon-Ham scored first, putting one run on the board in the opening inning. SoftBank tied the game in the third. The Fighters moved back in front with a run in the fifth, but the Hawks answered in the bottom half with two runs and took the lead. NPB’s scoring line then shows two more SoftBank runs in the sixth and one in the seventh. Neither club scored again, and the final was 6–2.

The key recorded extra-base hit was a two-run homer by SoftBank’s Masaki in the fifth inning, his first home run of the season, off Nippon-Ham starter Takayuki Kato. The official line score shows SoftBank finished with 11 hits and one error, while Nippon-Ham had eight hits and no errors. Those figures describe the completed game; they do not, on their own, explain every scoring opportunity or defensive play. NPB’s box score is the source for the detailed play-by-play and individual batting and pitching lines.

The result followed two earlier wins by the Hawks in the series. SoftBank took Game 1, 6–4, on October 14, then beat Nippon-Ham 6–2 in Game 2 on October 15. In Game 2, Ryoya Kurihara hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. Game 3 was another four-run margin, but it reached that score through a different sequence: the Hawks first drew level, then moved ahead in the fifth and added insurance in the sixth and seventh.

Starting pitchers and decisions

SoftBank’s announced starter, left-hander Yugo Maeda, was credited with the win. NPB’s completed box score lists him as the winning pitcher with a 1–0 decision in the game. Nippon-Ham’s announced starter, left-hander Takayuki Kato, took the loss and is listed at 0–1 for the game. The league record shows both starters in the game’s battery listing, followed by the relievers used by each club.

The starters named before first pitch were Maeda for SoftBank and Kato for Nippon-Ham. The final record now gives the outcome rather than a projection: Maeda’s team won, while Kato’s team lost. The score page also preserves the final batting orders and the pitching changes, so readers can check the complete game record instead of relying on a pregame lineup announcement or an early live score.

Why Game 3 clinched the Final Stage

SoftBank entered the Final Stage with a two-win advantage under the 2026 Climax Series rules. NPB’s rule notice says that a two-win head start and a maximum seven-game stage, with the first club to five total wins advancing, apply when the regular-season gap between first place and the First Stage winner is at least 10 games, or when that First Stage winner’s regular-season winning percentage is below .500.

The Pacific League standings show SoftBank finished first at 91–49–3 and Nippon-Ham finished second at 78–62–3, 13.0 games behind. The gap met the 10-game threshold. Before Game 1, the Hawks therefore had two credited wins before play began. Their victories in Games 1, 2, and 3 supplied three more, bringing the series tally to the required five. This total includes the league’s format advantage; it is not a claim that five games were played. The Final Stage ended for these clubs with three games played and a 5–0 tally for SoftBank when the advantage is included.

That distinction matters when reading postseason standings. On the field, SoftBank won three games, with scores of 6–4, 6–2, and 6–2. Under the published format, those three wins combined with the two-win advantage were enough to end the series. The NPB notice explains the format, while the official final standings document the 13.0-game regular-season difference.

Where to verify the result and series context

For the final score and box score, use the NPB Game 3 page. The completed pages for Game 1 and Game 2 provide the earlier results and scoring details. NPB’s 2026 Climax Series rules notice sets out the Final Stage advantage and five-win threshold, and the Pacific League standings show the clubs’ regular-season records and gap.

The confirmed update is that SoftBank won Game 3 by a 6–2 score, the game ended at 9:02 p.m. JST (12:02 UTC), and the Hawks advanced by reaching five total wins under the format. Pregame references to an unposted lineup or an undecided result no longer apply: NPB’s live page now carries the completed record. No further result or series uncertainty remains for this Final Stage matchup.