Sat Sep 13 06:00:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and news article based on the provided text:

**Summary:**

The text previews baseball games scheduled for today in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Key highlights include:

* **Hanshin vs. Giants:** Hanshin, already crowned league champions, face the Giants. Hanshin’s Chikamoto is one stolen base away from his fourth season with 30+ steals, a feat only previously achieved by Norihiro Akahoshi in Hanshin history. He’s also three stolen bases away from his 200th career steal.
* **Other Games:** The text lists the starting pitchers for the Yakult vs. DeNA, Hiroshima vs. Chunichi, Nippon-Ham vs. Seibu, Rakuten vs. Lotte, and Orix vs. Softbank games.
* **Noteworthy:** Giants player Maru is close to reaching 1500 strikeouts and 350 double, while Seibu’s rookie Shinohara seeks his first winning game, and DeNA’s Taketa also seeks for his 3rd winning game in a row.

**News Article:**

**Chikamoto Chasing History as Hanshin Faces Giants in Today’s NPB Action**

**TOKYO, JAPAN -** The Hanshin Tigers, fresh off clinching the Central League pennant, visit the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome today, October 12th, in one of several exciting matchups across Nippon Professional Baseball.

All eyes will be on Hanshin outfielder Koji Chikamoto, who is on the cusp of etching his name further into Tigers’ lore. Chikamoto stole his 29th base of the season in yesterday’s game against the DeNA BayStars and needs just one more to reach the 30-steal mark. This would be his fourth season achieving this feat, putting him in rare company within the Hanshin organization. Only the legendary Norihiro Akahoshi has accomplished this more times in team history, with seven 30+ stolen base seasons.

Furthermore, Chikamoto is nearing another milestone: 200 career stolen bases. He currently sits at 197 and needs only three more to reach the double century, a milestone reached by only 80 players in NPB history, most recently by Yuito Suto of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

The game features a pitching matchup between Yasukawa for the Giants and Takahashi for the Hanshin.

Elsewhere in the NPB today:

* **Yakult Swallows vs. DeNA BayStars:** Shingo Yamano takes the mound for Yakult against Taketa for DeNA.
* **Hiroshima Carp vs. Chunichi Dragons:** Tsunehiro will pitch for Hiroshima against Hiroya Takahashi of Chunichi.
* **Nippon-Ham Fighters vs. Seibu Lions:** Tomoyuki Kato will start for Nippon-Ham while Wtanabe takes the mound for Seibu.
* **Rakuten Eagles vs. Chiba Lotte Marines:** Shoji will pitch for Rakuten and Simmons for Lotte.
* **Orix Buffaloes vs. SoftBank Hawks:** Kuri will start for Orix and Uwasawa for SoftBank.

Other players to watch are Giants player Maru, who is closing in on 1,500 career strikeouts and 350 career double. Seibu’s rookie Shinohara aims for his first win, and DeNA’s Taketa looks to continue his winning streak. Baseball fans across Japan will be glued to their seats as the NPB season enters its final stages.

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