The Chiba Lotte Marines (71-66-6) held the Fighters to just two runs in their First Stage two-game sweep, but now they must stare down the barrel of Nippon Professional Baseball's best offense - the regular-season Pacific League champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (91-49-3) scored more than a half-run per game more than the second-highest scoring team in the league. The Hawks, the first team to win 90 games in Japan's top league since the 2017 edition of the franchise, will be very heavily favored to return to the Japan Series for the first time since winning the last of their four straight NPB titles in 2020 . . .
2024 NPB Central League Climax Series, Final Stage
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars (71-69-3) look to turn their quick dispatch of the Hanshin Tigers in the First Stage into the momentum which they will need to overcome both the pennant-winning Yomiuri Giants (77-59-7) and the traditional Final Stage handicap - all series games to be played at the Tokyo Dome, and needing to win four times in six games against the Giants to advance to the Japan Series as the representative of the Central League.
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