Instead of playing, Hawks and Eagles raised funds

The games between the Softbank Haws and the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Friday and Saturday were cancelled due to the earthquakes that struck the area south of Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. After the area was hit by a powerful earthquake on Thursday, another one hit on Friday, also making several buildings collapse.

Both games were cancelled due to safety measures and because the earthquake had a huge impact on the transpotation as many roads were severely damaged. The shocks were also felt in Fukuoka even though the epicenter of the earthquake was near the city of Kumamoto, which is situated about 80 kilometers south of Fukuoka.

Because both games were cancelled the teams worked together to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake at the entrance of the Fukuoka / Yahoo! Dome.

ホークスの選手と共同で熊本地震の募金活動を行いました。
皆さまご協力ありがとうございますm(_ _)m#RakutenEagles #sbhawks pic.twitter.com/PqfjCuVw2a

— 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス (@Rakuten__Eagles) April 17, 2016

The Hawks and the Eagles played today’s game that was won by the Hawks 9-7 in 12 innings. The Hawks tied the game to seven in the ninth inning on a three run homerun. The game winning runs also came on a (walk off) two run homerun hit by Yuki Yoshimura.