Preview: Hawks, Fighters Conclude Series in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks look to secure a series victory when they visit the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on Sunday evening at Sapporo Dome.

The Pacific League rivals continue an early-season stretch where they will face each other five times in 17 days. The Hawks (9-4) took the first game of this weekend set 6-3 on Saturday, powered by a three-run homer from Kensuke Kondoh and a strong seven-inning start from Naoyuki Uwasawa.

Uwasawa, a player to watch for SoftBank, will not pitch in Sunday’s series finale but has been instrumental against the Fighters this year. In two starts versus Nippon-Ham this season, he is 2-0, allowing four earned runs over 12 innings with 11 strikeouts.

The Fighters (7-6) have dropped four of their five meetings with SoftBank this season, including three one-run decisions. A player to watch for Nippon-Ham is reliever Sachiya Yamasaki, who has struggled in the matchup. Over three appearances against the Hawks in 2026, he has taken the loss twice, including in Friday’s series opener.

Both teams enter Sunday’s game after recent series wins. The Hawks took two of three from the Saitama Seibu Lions earlier last week, while the Fighters won two of three against the Orix Buffaloes at home before splitting a rain-shortened two-game set with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Projections for the contest are split. Interstat’s game simulator forecasts a 6-5 victory for the Fighters. However, the same outlet’s ELO rating system gives the visiting Hawks a slight edge, projecting a 53.40% probability of a SoftBank win.

Following Sunday’s game, the Hawks return to Fukuoka to begin a six-game homestand against the Rakuten Golden Eagles and Orix Buffaloes on Tuesday. The Fighters embark on a six-game road trip, starting with a three-game series against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Tuesday.