Overview
Sayonara refers to any play where the home team scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning or later, immediately ending the game. Forms include sayonara home runs, hits, walks, wild pitches, and errors. The term sayonara is uniquely Japanese; English uses walk-off. In NPB, the sayonara home run is remembered as the most dramatic conclusion, with Shigeo Nagashima's walk-off homer during the Emperor's Game in 1959 standing as one of the most iconic moments in Japanese baseball history. Walk-off victories maximize the home team's last-at-bat advantage and represent the ultimate moment for home fans. Statistically, batters who perform well in walk-off situations earn reputations as clutch hitters.