SoftBank is eyeing a third straight title with Nippon Ham close behind

Pacific League race shaping up as Fighters-Hawks duel
Pitcher Kohei Arihara is back with the Fighters after spending the past three seasons with the Hawks
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When the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters finished in second place in 2024, it was somewhat of a surprise
When it happened again last season, the Fighters were not upstarts, but legitimate pennant contenders.The Fighters won the Pacific League title and the Japan Series in 2006 and pulled off the double again in 2016
Now, 10 years after that most recent triumph, the team is looking to do it again.An old adage in baseball is that pitching wins championships, and the Fighters might have enough of it.

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