SoftBank sweeps the Japan Series after four hard-earned wins
A sweep without an easy night: SoftBank rallied past DeNA 4–2 in Game 4 to secure its second straight title and 13th overall.
Source
Baseball · NPB · Outfielder
Yuki Yanagita
2026 Season performance
Across 128 games in 2026, Yanagita hit .302 with 19 homers and 70 RBI, a .347 OBP and .480 slugging percentage. Compared with 20 appearances in 2025, the fuller season gave SoftBank substantially more plate appearances and power from him.
Updated 2026-11-10Career background
Yanagita came through Hiroshima Commercial High School and Hiroshima University of Economics before SoftBank selected him in the second round in 2010. His first-team career began with six games in 2011. By 2014, he played all 144 games, hit .317 and stole 33 bases, establishing a profile that combined power potential with speed.
In 2015 he paired a .363 average with 34 home runs and 32 steals, completing a .300/30/30 season. He followed with 36 homers and a .352 average in 2018. High-level power and hitting efficiency, alongside his earlier baserunning threat, helped turn a rookie with limited playing time into a long-term member of SoftBank’s core lineup.
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