Dutch right-hander Rick van den Hurk allowed just four hits and a walk, while striking out ten in six scoreless innings in game five of the Nippon Series, leading his Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 2-0 shutout over Hiroshima Toyo Carp. The Hawks prevailed 4-1 in the best-of-seven series, winning the title in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Van den Hurk pitched twice in the series. In game two he issued eight hits and three runs in five innings, while striking out seven to take the loss. During the regular season he was 10-7 with an ERA of 4.30 in 23 games. He struck out 127 and walked 61 in 138 innings.