The last playoff spot in NPB was wrapped up today as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat Saitama Seibu Lions 8-2 to clinch second place in the Pacific League. Due to the delay in the season starting the Pacific League decided to change their playoff format so that only the first and second place teams would make the postseason. The Marines will play the Hawks in the Climax Series starting next Saturday in Fukuoka with the winner of the best of five series going on to meet the Giants in the Nippon Series starting a week later.
The Lions had actually taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the game before the Marines tied it in the third. Then in the bottom of the fourth, Yudai Fujioka came up and did this:
Fujioka's solo shot put Lotte up for good and the Marines added on another five runs in the seventh and eighth just to make sure. It was Fujioka's fourth home run of the year.
As a Lions fan I'm not particularly happy with this outcome but given how happy I am with some non-baseball news this week, I think I'm good with this. I'll be pulling for Lotte in the postseason and am hoping to be love, love, love, loving the Marines for the next few weeks. Here's Fujioka's Calbee card from last year (#037):
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