Aki 2022 Day Fourteen

PUBLIC LEAGUE LEADERBOARD

From Fantasizr

YUSHO ARASOI

12 wins 15 Maegashira #3 East Tamawashi

11 wins 18 Maegashira #4 West Takayasu

NOTABLE MANEUVERS

Ashitori. Makuuchi newcomer Hiradoumi apparently needs to work on his scouting, because he fell hard to Terutsuyoshi's signature leg pick.

MATCH OF THE DAY

Maegashira #5 East Takarafuji versus Ozeki #1 West Shodai

Little was on the line in the musubi no ichiban, as the consequential matches were earlier in the day (and pretty one-sided). Takarafuji and Shodai have also been disappointing in Aki. But Takarafuji made this interesting by sort-of, but not really trying a henka. That seemed to unleash the good Shodai, who bounced and bobbed his way to a fun yorikiri.

RECAP

It was on Takayasu, really. Once Tamawashi blew back Tobizaru with his trademark nodowa, the former Ozeki needed to win to keep his playoff chances alive. He managed to dominate the much younger Sekiwake Hoshoryu in a dominant match of his own. Following right after Hokutofuji fell to Wakatakakage, that meant he denied Tamawashi a Day Fourteen yusho celebration.

The yusho math is now quite simple. In the middle of the Makuuchi slate, Takayasu and Tamawashi will square off. A Tamawashi win means we will have yusho winner with seven matches left in the Aki basho. A Takayasu win means a playoff. That playoff will be a rematch between Tamawashi and Takayasu with the yusho to the winner. They'll also get seven matches of sumo between their two Day Fifteen bouts in the event of a playoff.

Many other rikishi are fighting for something on Day Fifteen. 7 rikishi have a 7-7 record. Hiradoumi is at the foot of Makuuchi, so he needs his eighth win against Aoiyama to stick in the top division. At the other end of the Banzuke, Hoshoryu needs his eighth to remain a Sekiwake. He's in one of three 7-7 vs. 7-7 matches against Endo. Also fighting with kachi-koshi to the winner will be Kotoshoho vs Meisei and Oho vs. Ura. A winning record means a lot to any rikishi, although Hiradoumi and Hoshoryu have the most on the line.

Apart from Hoshoryu, the Sanyaku ranks aren't really settled for the Kyushu basho. Shodai will be a kadoban Ozeki in November, while Mitakeumi will fall to Sekiwake. Wakatakakage will remain the top Sekiwake, but Hoshoryu needs his eighth to join him again. Kiribayama also has a chance to make Sekiwake if he gets 9 wins, but an 8-7 probably keeps him at Komusubi. Tobizaru is guaranteed a Komusubi debut himself, but 10 wins may make a claim for Sekiwake. Sanyaku may once again be a mess.

Then there are the Special Prizes. Four men earned a kinboshi, while a few others had significant win totals. The committee who chooses who gets which prize will have a time on its hands. At least the yusho race is relatively simple, although it will also feature two long-time fan favorites who would definitely count as surprise winners.