2018 Japan Series

The 2018 Japan Series (known as the SMBC Nippon Series 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Pacific League's (PL) Climax Series champion and defending Japan Series champions, and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the Central League's (CL) Climax Series champion. The Hawks defeated the Carp, 4–1–1, in six games, to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship and their fifth in eight years.

The Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place in the Pacific League. They advanced to the Japan Series after defeating the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Climax Series. The Carp finished in first place in the Central League for the third consecutive year, earning a bye in the first stage of the Climax Series. They defeated the Yomiuri Giants in Climax Series to reach the Japan Series.

At Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, the Hawks and Carp tied in Game 1, and the Carp won Game 2. The Hawks then won the next four games, including Games 3 through 5 at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome in Fukuoka, to win the series. Takuya Kai won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks finished the 2018 regular season in second place behind the Saitama Seibu Lions, securing them a place as host team for the First Stage of the Climax Series, a best-of-three series against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. After defeating the Fighters 2–1, SoftBank advanced to the Final Stage where they competed against the PL pennant winning Lions. The series is best-of-six and the Lions were awarded a one-win advantage as well as home field advantage for the entire series. The Hawks defeated the Lions 4–2 to advance to the Japan Series. Since the Climax Series' creation in 2007, it was only the second time a Pacific League team that didn't win the pennant advanced to the Japan Series and only the fourth time between both leagues. For the third year in a row, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp won the Central League, giving them a First Stage bye and advancing them directly to the Final Stage. They swept the third place Yomiuri Giants in three games securing them a place in the Japan Series.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the 2017 Japan Series and defeated the Saitama Seibu Lions in the 2018 Pacific League Climax Series to return to the Japan Series in 2018. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp won their third consecutive Central League pennant. They lost in the 2016 Japan Series to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and lost in the 2017 Central League Climax Series.

During the annual managers' meeting where Japan Series rules are discussed and set, managers Koichi Ogata and Kimiyasu Kudo agreed to announce who their starting pitcher would be the day before each game. Starters are announced early during the regular season, however both teams need to agree to the practice in the Japan Series. Additionally, it was decided that games in the series would only last through 12 innings and if a game was still even after that, it would result in a tie game. Previously, Japan Series games would last through 15 innings before resulting in a tie, however this change brought the series in line with the format used during both the regular season and the Climax Series. For the fifth year in a row, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is sponsoring the event and it is officially known as the "2018 SMBC Japan Series".

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the series, 4–1–1.

Daichi Osera started Game 1 for the Carp and Kodai Senga started for the Hawks. Hiroshima scored two runs in the first inning on a home run by Ryosuke Kikuchi and a run batted in (RBI) single by Ryuhei Matsuyama. Osera then went on to strike out six of the first thirteen batters he faced and did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. SoftBank capitalized and scored two in the inning when pinch hitter Alfredo Despaigne drove in a run by singling to second baseman Kikuchi. Kikuchi's throw to first base was off target and resulted in a throwing error that allowed a second runner to score. Both teams had scoring chances during the remainder of the game, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the eleventh inning for the Hawks, but each team's relief pitchers kept the game tied through the twelfth. With the postseason now using the same innings limit as the regular season (after 12 innings instead of 15 in the past), the game ended in a 2–2 tie after twelve innings. This Japan Series tie game was the first since the 2010 Japan Series and the first to open a Japan Series since 1986.