SoftBank Beats DeNA 4-2 in Japan Series Game 4, Sweeps 2026 Title

Final update — October 28, 2026: The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 4–2 in Game 4 of the SMBC Japan Series 2026 at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka. Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) lists the game as final, confirming that SoftBank won the best-of-seven championship four games to none. The league's official Japan Series results identify this as the Hawks' second consecutive championship and 13th overall. The earlier pregame status is no longer current.

Game 4 began on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in Fukuoka, Japan — Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+09:00), equivalent to 09:00 UTC on October 28. NPB's official final scoreboard gives an end time of 8:33 p.m. JST (11:33 UTC) and a game duration of two hours and 33 minutes. This article preserves the original Game 4 fixture and broadcasting information while replacing pregame predictions and conditional outcomes with the verified final result.

SoftBank vs. DeNA Game 4: official result at a glance

How Game 4 unfolded

DeNA scored first. The official game record credits Keita Sano with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning against SoftBank starter Yugo Maeda, giving the visitors a 2–0 lead. That was the BayStars' entire scoring for the game. The Hawks, playing at home, did not score in the first three innings before taking the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. They added another run in the sixth, producing the final 4–2 margin.

NPB's inning-by-inning line shows that neither club scored in the final three innings. DeNA finished with four hits and no errors; SoftBank recorded five hits and no errors. The Hawks did not need a home run in Game 4, according to the official home-run summary. Unlike the first three games of the series, this contest was settled in nine innings rather than extra innings. Those are details from the league's completed Game 4 scorecard, not estimates based on an in-progress feed.

The official pitching decisions list Hernandez as the winning pitcher, Kentaro Taira as the losing pitcher and Kazuki Sugiyama with the save. NPB records Yugo Maeda as SoftBank's starting pitcher and Taira as DeNA's starter, confirming the previously announced matchup actually took place. The distinction matters: a pregame probable-starter listing alone would not prove that both pitchers appeared, but the finalized game record includes them.

SoftBank completes a four-game sweep of the 2026 Japan Series

SoftBank entered October 28 ahead 3–0 after winning the opening three games. The fourth victory completed the sweep and ended the championship series immediately under NPB's rule that the Japan Series concludes once a team reaches four wins. The league's championship page explicitly records four SoftBank wins and zero DeNA wins, so there is no longer any uncertainty about whether a fifth game will be needed.

The first three wins had unusual similarities: all went into extra innings, and each was decided by a narrow margin. In Game 3 on October 27, DeNA led 1–0 entering the bottom of the ninth, but SoftBank tied the score and Tomoya Masaki ended the game with a walk-off solo home run in the 10th. The NPB Game 3 report notes the historical distinction of the first three games all reaching extra innings. The championship was not decided by those games alone; Game 4's completed 4–2 result delivered the necessary fourth win.

What happened to the remaining scheduled games?

Before the series began, NPB published dates for Games 5 through 7 if they were required. Game 5 had been listed for October 29 at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka, followed by Games 6 and 7 at Yokohama Stadium on October 31 and November 1. These were conditional fixtures, not commitments to play all seven games. Because SoftBank won the championship in Game 4, Games 5, 6 and 7 are unnecessary. Readers using an older calendar or broadcast guide should not treat those previously listed dates as upcoming championship games.

The official competition information also explains how tied games and extra innings are handled, but those contingencies do not alter this result. The final 4–0 series record is established by four completed wins, with no additional contest required to identify the champion.

Game 4 first pitch and time-zone conversion

NPB scheduled and recorded first pitch at 6:00 p.m. on October 28 in Fukuoka, JST (UTC+09:00). This corresponds to 9:00 a.m. UTC on October 28. The league's recorded finish of 8:33 p.m. JST corresponds to 11:33 a.m. UTC on the same date. Japan does not observe daylight saving time, so there is no seasonal clock adjustment to apply to this Fukuoka fixture. Both the start and finish fall on October 28 in Japan and in UTC.

These are event times, not the publication time of this update. The venue is in Fukuoka, but that fact does not establish a reader's country or time zone. International readers should convert from the clearly labeled JST or UTC times into their own local zone if needed.

Where Game 4 was broadcast in Japan

The official NPB coverage schedule lists Nippon TV as the Game 4 Japanese television broadcaster and Hulu and TVer as the named online services. These were the scheduled outlets for October 28; the listing is not a guarantee that a live stream or full replay remains available after the game has ended. The NPB broadcast announcement and series broadcast table provide the original distribution details.

Availability on Hulu or TVer can depend on location, account access and device support. The domestic Japanese broadcast listing should not be interpreted as confirmation of an authorized streaming service in other countries. Anyone looking for postgame highlights should start with NPB's Japan Series page or the broadcasters' current program listings, rather than assuming that a pregame live-stream link is still active.

Where to verify the final score and championship record

For the final score, inning-by-inning runs, actual pitchers, and game duration, the primary reference is NPB's Game 4 final scoreboard. For the overall championship outcome and all four series results, use the 2026 Japan Series hub. The English-language NPB game schedule retains the October 28 matchup and 18:00 venue listing, but the detailed Japanese final scoreboard is the stronger source for what happened after first pitch.

Bottom line: On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka, the Hawks overturned an early 2–0 deficit and defeated the BayStars 4–2. The official final result completed SoftBank's 4–0 sweep and secured the SMBC Japan Series 2026 title. This article is updated from a pregame preview to a verified final-result report; the original match date, venue, starting-pitcher matchup and Japanese broadcaster listings remain part of its historical record.