Liván Moinelo tossed six innings of four-hit, one-run ball in another spectacular playoff performance in Game 3 of the Japan Series. The left-hander also struck out four to help secure of SoftBank Hawks’ 2-1 win over the Hanshin Tigers.
Moinelo has been a stalwart pitcher for the Japanese squad. He pitched the clinching game of the Climax Series to help get the team into the final series. Over the season in his second year as a starter the Cuban left-hander had a 12-3 record, 1.46 earned run average and 172 strikeouts in a 167 innings pitched.
SoftBank now leads the seven game series 2-1 with the fourth game being played later today. The two-time All-Star is looking to win his fifth Japan Series title with the Hawks. In his nine years in the land of the rising sun he sports a 42-17 record, while also winning a Reliever of the Year (2020), ERA title (2024) and a Gold Glove Award (2024).