The SoftBank Hawks advanced to their third straight Japan Series with a 6-2 victory over the Nippon Ham Fighters that secured a sweep of the Pacific League Climax Series final stage on Friday.The Fukuoka-based Hawks are aiming for back-to-back Japan Series titles, having defeated the Central League's Hanshin Tigers last year after losing to the DeNA BayStars in 2024.Tomoya Masaki's go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning at Mizuho PayPay Dome gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead that they never relinquished.Left-hander Yugo Maeda (1-0) threw five solid innings for SoftBank, allowing t…READ FULL ARTICLE