Sports · Other Sports · 4 hrs ago
HIRO Shibata wins M League match with final-hand yakuman
In Japan’s M League professional mahjong competition, EARTH JETS player HIRO Shibata won after trailing in fourth place in the final hand.
Earlier big wins by opponents had pushed him to the bottom of the standings in the match.
Shibata built a kokushi musou, a rare top-scoring hand, and declared riichi with a nine of circles as his winning tile.
His opponent, Akari Date, discarded the final nine of circles, completing Shibata’s hand and turning fourth place into first.
The win was Shibata’s third in a row and EARTH JETS’ third consecutive team victory.
EARTH JETS moved from 10th to 8th in the league standings.
Shibata said he hopes to keep the team’s momentum going as it aims to advance from the regular season.
HIRO Shibata won the first M League match on October 29 with a final-hand yakuman, turning a last-place position into first.
The EARTH JETS player completed a kokushi musou hand by ron on a nine of circles discarded by Risa Date.
The result gave Shibata his third consecutive individual win and his fifth win of the season.
EARTH JETS also recorded its third consecutive team win, rising from 10th to 8th place.
Shibata said the comeback left him shaken and described the game as dramatic.
- Who
- HIRO Shibata of EARTH JETS won the match. Risa Date, Genta Takeuchi and Saki Kurosawa were the other players.
- What
- Shibata made a kokushi musou yakuman in the final hand to come from fourth place and win.
- When
- October 29, 2026.
- Where
- An M League match in Tokyo; the exact venue is not stated.
- Why
- Shibata won by completing the yakuman on Date’s discard. The sources do not state a further reason.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
M League announced the first-match line-up, including Shibata, Kurosawa, Date and Takeuchi.
Shibata fell to fourth after his opponents scored large hands in the south round.
Shibata completed kokushi musou by ron on Date’s nine of circles and took first place.
EARTH JETS’ third straight team win moved the club from 10th to 8th place.
- Match date
- October 29, 2026
- Winning hand
- Kokushi musou, a yakuman
- Winning score
- 45,100 points
- Individual streak
- Shibata’s third consecutive win; fifth win of the season
- Team result
- EARTH JETS’ third straight win; rose from 10th to 8th
- Opponent’s discard
- Risa Date discarded the final nine of circles that completed the hand
3 sources
What people are saying
How can a comeback like this happen! This is mahjong, it’s too much of a miracle!
My heart is trembling, or maybe it feels like a dream. Mahjong has drama.
I’m trembling… (laughs). This isn’t a dream, right?
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大和証券 #Mリーグ 2026-27 10/29(木) レギュラーシーズン 27日目/94日 🀄麻雀ch🀄 第1️⃣試合の出場選手発表 東家：#HIRO柴田 EARTH JETS 南家：#黒沢咲 TEAM RAIDEN/雷電 西家：#伊達朱里紗 KONAMI麻雀格闘倶楽部 北家：#竹内元太 セガサミーフェニックス 実況：#日吉辰哉 解説：#前田直哉