Tigers sweep past Carp on way to first Japan Series in nine years

Seishiro Sakamoto put the Hanshin Tigers forward twice with RBI singles, propelling the Central League champs previous the Hiroshima Carp 4-2 on Friday and to a three-game sweep of their Climax Sequence Last Stage.

The win in entrance of their frenzied followers at historic Koshien Stadium close to Osaka earned the Tigers their first Japan Sequence berth since 2014. The Tigers’ solely Japan Sequence title got here in 1985.

With the sport tied 1-1 with two outs within the fourth, Sakamoto shot a grounder between third and quick to place the Tigers in entrance. Within the sixth, Carp starter Hiroki Tokoda jammed Sakamoto with a 2-2 fastball, however the Tigers catcher’s dinky fly floated over second for a fortunate RBI single.