The Pacific League’s Nippon Ham Fighters and the Central League’s Hanshin Tigers on Thursday both defeated the teams they will need to overcome to reach the final stage of their respective leagues’ playoffs. The Fighters, who finished second, beat the third-place Lotte Marines 3-0 at Chiba’s Zozo Marine Stadium east of Tokyo. Nippon Ham will host the Marines in the PL’s best-of-three Climax Series first stage at their home park, Es Con Field Hokkaido. The defending Japan Series champion Tigers beat the third-place DeNA BayStars 3-1 at Yokohama Stadium ahead of their CL Climax Series first stag…