◆2025 Persol Climax Series Pacific Final Stage Game 5 Softbank 1-7 Nippon-Ham (19th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Manager Shinjo's strategy is interesting. With two outs and a runner on first in the fourth inning, he attempted a hit-and-run, and with one out and runners on second and third in the fifth, Tamiya fouled off a bunt. He thought he'd wait and see what would happen after the first pitch, but he took us by surprise and gave us a squeeze play on the second pitch. The two-run home run he'd had success with during the season failed, but the players knew their manager's baseball was on the upswing. He also pitched quickly. He brought in Yamazaki before the third inning, which changed the focus of Softbank batting lineup.

Starter Ruei-Yang Gu Lin had two outs and third base in the first inning, and 7 of the 9 pitches against Yanagida were fastballs. In the end, he finished with a struck out swing at the fastest 157 km on this day. Just before, Yama Prefecture was injured and substituted. The upset atmosphere was completely changed with a bullish pitch.

In contrast, Softbank 's battery avoided facing Reyes too much. He walked him three Walk, including two on fastball Walk and allowed him to comfortably ignore balls. The final game will likely depend on Moinelo's performance, but they were unable to launch any offensive moves.

In the 1976 Japan Series, I won three straight games against The Giants, then lost three straight. In Game 6 at Korakuen, we came from behind 7-0 and lost a huge comeback. After the game, almost everyone went out to refresh themselves, saying, "It ends tomorrow," and we won Game 7. When you're cornered, everyone has to do their job. Walk, errors, sacrifice bunt... Plays that should be possible are what make the difference between victory and defeat. (Sports Hochi commentator)

Related News

・ [Scoreboard] Softbank vs. Nippon-Ham
・ [Pacific League CS] Nippon-Ham starter Ruei-Yang Gu Lin pitches well, leading the team to a reversal of odds: "We couldn't stop everyone's momentum."
・ [Pacific League CS] Akira Nakamura who will miss the game due to a head injury, said, "My body is fine." As of today, there are no symptoms of a concussion.
・ [Pacific League CS] Manager Hiroki Kokubo doesn't look back on lose and heads into Game 6: "It's easy to understand," "We'll give it our all against the team that was going head-to-head with us"
・ [Pacific League CS] Regarding Game 6 Softbank, Moinelo said, "We've all worked together to achieve something. We'll win in the end. That's all."