The Chiba Lotte Marines recently topped the Seibu Lions, 8-2, in a key regular-season game to earn second place in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Pacific League. The Marines thus secured their spot in the only 2020 playoff series before NPB's crown jewel event, the Japan Series.
In the Climax Series playoffs, the Marines will face the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the three-time Pacific League defending champions and the first-place team of the regular season. The best-of-five series will see Fukuoka start with a one-game advantage. The whole series will be played at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome.
The Hawks led the Marines by 14 games in the 120-game regular season.
The winners of the Pacific League will play against the Central League winners Tokyo Giants in the Japan Series.
The Giants led the second-place Hanshin Tigers by eight games in the regular season. The Central League decided to cancel the Climax Series in a season that opened late due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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