NPB Games This Week, October 12–18, 2026: Series to Watch in Japan

Updated through Friday, October 16: The only NPB games still scheduled for this week are Games 4 and 5 of the Central League Final Stage, with the Hanshin Tigers hosting the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Koshien Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. Both are set for 2:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+09:00), or 05:00 UTC. DeNA has won the first three games played and is one win from advancing. The Pacific League Final Stage ended Friday: SoftBank beat Nippon-Ham 6–2 and completed the series.

The October 12–18 window began with a Pacific League decider and now closes with a single live postseason storyline. This guide separates completed results from the remaining fixtures so readers can plan around the current NPB schedule, rather than an earlier provisional slate.

NPB games this week: October 12–18 schedule and results

All listed start times are for the venue in Japan, where Japan Standard Time is UTC+09:00 year-round. The UTC column is included for international viewers. NPB’s official schedule and game pages remain the place to confirm any late changes.

The October 17–18 entries are the remaining fixtures in this week’s window. NPB also lists a possible Game 6 at Koshien on Monday, October 19, at 6:00 p.m. JST (09:00 UTC), if Hanshin keeps the series alive. No Pacific League game is listed for the weekend because SoftBank finished its final stage on Friday.

Hanshin–DeNA is the weekend series to watch

The Hanshin Tigers vs. Yokohama DeNA BayStars matchup is now the only active NPB Climax Series pairing on the October 17–18 calendar. DeNA reached the final by beating the second-place Yomiuri Giants twice in the First Stage, then opened against regular-season champion Hanshin at Koshien.

DeNA took Game 1 by 2–0 on October 14, Game 2 by 1–0 on October 15, and Game 3 by 4–0 on October 16. Those three wins put the BayStars in a strong position, but the Climax Series format matters: Hanshin entered with a one-win advantage as the Central League’s first-place club. The league’s standard Final Stage is six games, with the top seed’s advantage counted toward the four wins needed to advance. After Friday’s result, the effective count is DeNA 3, Hanshin 1.

That makes Saturday’s Game 4 a potential clincher. A DeNA win would give the BayStars the four total wins required. If Hanshin wins, the series continues to Sunday’s Game 5; if the Tigers win both weekend games, a sixth game is scheduled for Monday. Hanshin therefore needs a strong response immediately, while DeNA can focus on closing out the series one game at a time.

Both remaining games are at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The scheduled first pitch is 2:00 p.m. JST (UTC+09:00), which is 05:00 UTC on each date. Because the schedule can change if a series ends early or a game is postponed, check the official NPB listing on the day you plan to watch.

Why SoftBank–Nippon-Ham ended before the weekend

The Pacific League Final Stage is complete. SoftBank, the regular-season champion, hosted the Nippon-Ham Fighters at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka and won all three games played: 6–4 on October 14, then 6–2 on both October 15 and October 16.

The series ended in three games because the 2026 rules gave the Pacific League’s first-place team a two-win head start when the regular-season gap to the First Stage winner was at least 10 games. NPB’s final standings list Nippon-Ham 13 games behind SoftBank, so the condition applied. SoftBank’s three on-field victories plus its two-win advantage reached the five wins needed to advance. That is why the official schedule no longer shows a Pacific League matchup on October 17 or 18.

This is also why the original week’s biggest question—whether Seibu or Nippon-Ham would face SoftBank—has been settled. Nippon-Ham won the October 12 decider 4–1 after splitting the first two games with Seibu, then lost the Pacific final to SoftBank. The week’s Pacific League storyline is now a completed result, not a weekend viewing option.

How to follow the games from outside Japan

• Use the venue’s date and JST time. Japan Standard Time is UTC+09:00. Saturday and Sunday’s 2:00 p.m. starts at Koshien correspond to 05:00 UTC on the same dates.
• Separate results from scheduled games. The 12th and 14th–16th are completed; only Hanshin–DeNA is scheduled for October 17–18.
• Check the series status before traveling or tuning in. A DeNA win on Saturday could end the Central League Final Stage before the Sunday listing.
• Verify broadcast availability in your country. This schedule check confirms matchups, venues, start times, and results; it does not establish a broadcaster or streaming service for every market.

Official NPB schedule, results, and rules

• NPB October 2026 detailed schedule — fixtures, venues, start times, and updated results for the week.
• NPB Central League Climax Series schedule and NPB Pacific League Climax Series schedule — official stage dates.
• NPB 2026 Climax Series rules and schedule notice — first-stage and final-stage formats, advantages, and reserve dates.
• NPB 2026 regular-season standings — final records and the Pacific League gap used to determine the advantage.
• NPB’s October 12 official result, plus the October 14, October 15, and October 16 game pages.
• NPB’s Belluna Dome profile, the Hanshin Koshien Stadium guide, and SoftBank’s Mizuho PayPay Dome information — venue details and locations.

For the rest of October 12–18, the key live choice is Hanshin–DeNA at Koshien on Saturday and, if needed, Sunday. The Pacific League final is already decided, so use NPB’s live schedule to confirm whether the Central League series is still active before making a viewing plan.