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The SoftBank Hawks’ depth of talent and a new manager put them back on top Monday as they overcame a series of setbacks to clinch their first Pacific League pennant in four seasons. First-year skipper Hiroki Kokubo, more player-friendly and less small-ball oriented than his predecessor, has made the most of the organization’s big spending on the free agent market and the deepest development program in Japanese pro baseball to once more rise to the top. “At the start of the season, I told my players that they should try to be irreplaceable, and they played really well,” Kokubo said after a 9-4 …

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