Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Yusho Arasoi
12 Wins
42 Maegashira #17 East Takerufuji
11 Wins
19 Maegashira #5 West Onosato
Notable Maneuvers
Hansoku. Ura actually managed a wonderful throw of Hiradoumi, but he also grabbed the back of Hiradoumi's hair. That meant Ura lost due to the foul.
Match of the Day
Asanoyama did as good a job as anyone at stalling Takerufuji's bulldozer tachiai. From there, he got his right hand on the mawashi, while his left arm was wrapped around Takerufuji's right. And Takerufuji went backwards. Somewhere in there, Takerufuji injured his right foot or leg. He was limping at the end of the match, and was taken to a hospital for examination. His status for the final day is unclear.
Recap
Asanoyama made it interesting for the final day. His victory robbed Takerufuji of the chance of a yusho on Day Fourteen. More importantly, Takerufuji's injury puts his participation in doubt for Day Fifteen. He may not even be around for his final match. That doesn't ruin his yusho shot, because he is still leading the yusho race by one win. He can sit out and still lift the Emperor's Cup, something only previously done by Yokozuna Wajima in November 1973.
This is where the basho adds to its strangeness. We're making comparisons to Wajima, but Takerufuji could do much more. Takerufuji secures the yusho, and he'll be the first rookie to win the yusho since Ryogoku in 1914. Ryogoku won the second of two Basho's that year with a 9-0-1 record, if you're wondering how different sumo was then. Takerufuji is going to make history in odd and surprising ways, whatever happens on Day Fifteen. Even getting a playoff-loss Jun-Yusho with a fusen loss would be something remarkable.
And that odd playoff possibility relies on Onosato. He read Abi-zumo perfectly, and slapped down the former yusho winner once he felt him off balance. That sits him at 11 wins after fourteen matches, which is a truly great performance by someone in his second ever Makuuchi basho. The man has yet to grow his hair long enough to pull into a top-knot, and he can win the whole thing. Onosato has just been in the shadow of Takerufuji's historic performance.
What Onosato needs to do to get the Emperor's Cup is beat Ozeki Hoshoryu in regulation on Day Fifteen, then topple Takerufuji in a playoff match. He has a career 0-1 record versus each man. The loss to Hoshoryu happened in January, and his loss to Takerufuji was on Day 10 in this basho. He needs to step up and vanquish those recently acquired demons, but he is perfectly built to dominate top-division sumo. He could start that tomorrow, also making history. No one has ever won a yusho in their second Makuuchi basho.
Hoshoryu fell from his chance to win the yusho in a loss to Kotonowaka, who out-powered him during a throw battle with one arm. It was a tough loss, but not a bad one. That means a 26-year-old shin-Ozeki knocked a 24-year-old Ozeki out of the yusho race, to the benefit of a 24-year-old debutant and a 23-year-old in his second Makuuchi basho. The youth are here, however the yusho ends. And that ending is going to be historic in some way.
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