Sportinjapan.com

SENDAI (Kyodo) The Softbank Hawks failed to bid farewell to manager Sadaharu Oh with a victory Tuesday, losing to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 1-0 in 12 innings to finish the season in last place for the first time since 1996. The 68-year-old Oh leaves his post due to health reasons after guiding the Hawks to Pacific League titles in 1999, 2000 and 2003 and JapanSeries titles in 1999 and 2003 during his 14 years at the helm.

More here: Eagles top Hawks in Oh’s final game

Japan’s pro baseball teams have agreed to introduce a ban on players who return to Japan after opting out of the amateur draft in order to play for overseas pro teams. The move comes after highly regarded amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa announced plans last month to negotiate with major league teams rather than make himself eligible for the Oct.

More here: NPB sets deterrent for players

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma finished first in the Pacific League with 21 wins, a 1.87 ERA and a .840 winning percentage as the league concluded its 2008 regular-season schedule Tuesday.

More here: Hurler Iwakuma finishes first in PL

Sumo wrestlers do their usual rituals: they throw salt to purify the ring, stomp on the floor to squash the evil and drink water to purify their bodies.

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More of Tokyo: Ikebukuro and Sumo

KITAHIROSHIMA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) Overnight joint leader Azuma Yano shot in the 60s for the third successive round to open up a three-stroke lead at the ANA Open on Saturday, while Shingo Katayama moved back into the picture in second place. Yano had an eagle, four birdies and three bogeys in a round of 69 for an 11-under 205 total at Sapporo Golf Club’s Wattsu Course in Hokkaido, setting himself up to win his first JGTO event since his first career victory at the 2005 Yomiuri Memorial.

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Yano takes three-stroke lead

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. (Kyodo) Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 3-for-5 with a homer and Naoyuki Shimizu pitched 7 2/3 effective innings Thursday as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Seibu Lions 6-3 to keep them in the thick of the race for one of three spots in the postseason. Nishioka singled and crossed the plate on a Tasuku Hashimoto two-run double in the third inning before hitting a solo shot in the fifth that made it 3-0 at Seibu Dome, helping Lotte move into a tie for third place in the…

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Marines stay in hunt for postseason berth with victory over Lions

FUKUOKA — Fukuoka Softbank Hawks manager Sadaharu Oh said Tuesday he will leave his post for health reasons after 14 seasons at the helm of the Pacific League club. Oh, 68, the all-time home run king in Nippon Professional Baseball, has decided to bring an end to his long, illustrious career as a player and manager two years after being diagnosed with cancer and having had his stomach removed

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Oh announces plan to step down as Hawks’ manager

KITAHIROSHIMA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) Kim Kyung Tae, the South Korean tour’s money title holder, made a pair of eagles in shooting a 7-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the ANA Open on Thursday. Kim equaled his career-best 18-hole score on the Japanese tour after holing 14-footers for eagle on the par-5 fifth and 12th while posting four birdies and a bogey at the Sapporo Golf Club’s Wattsu Course.

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Kim one shot in front at ANA Open

The Hanshin Tigers have spent virtually the entire season alone in first place in the Central League Thanks to the Yomiuri Giants, things just got a little more crowded at the top. Read the full story

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Giants muscle in on Tigers’ lead

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref.

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Fernandez’s slam ignites Eagles, spoils Lions’ celebration plans