On October 14th, a press conference was held at MIZUHO PayPay Dome the day before the final stage of the 2025 Persol Climax Series Pacific League. In the first part of the event, Fukuoka Softbank manager Hiroki Kokubo, player Tatsuya Tatsuru Yanagimachi, and Persol Holdings Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takao Wada took to the stage.

"We are proud to be the two teams that have enlivened Pacific League this year."

Manager Kokubo led the team to two consecutive Pacific League championships. "We experienced the final stage last year, but these short-term battles are always special. We are only thinking about win as a team. That's all we will be thinking about as we fight. We will take advantage of our home ground advantage and do our best to deliver a game that will move the hearts of The Hawks fans at MIZUHO PayPay Dome," he said with confidence.

Yanagimachi also expressed his enthusiasm for the final stage starting tomorrow, saying, "I think it will be a tough battle, but I hope we can put on an exciting game that will get the Fukuoka fans excited and show them that we can win. I will do my best to play to the best of my ability depending on the situation."

Regarding their opponent, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, manager Kokubo said, "We were pretty evenly matched in the regular season, and in the second half of the season it was a near one-on-one battle for the championship." He also vowed to liven up the series, saying, "I believe that (Fukuoka Softbank and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) are the two teams that really livened up Pacific League this year, so in that sense I want to make the Persol CS Pacific the final game."

Moinelo will start in the first game. Who should we be wary of?

The starter for Game 1 will be Moinello pitcher, who has pitched well ERA in eight games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham this season with a 1.87 record.

Kokubo said, "I think Imagawa (Yuma) and Yamagata (Shu) will come out, so I want them to be closer strong," cautioning against the two players who allowed Home Run in their matchup on September 9. Yanagimachi was determined, saying, "I want to score the first run so that I can let Moinello do his own pitching.

Finally, when asked again about his enthusiasm for the final stage, he replied, "I don't blame them for any aggressive mistakes they made, so I expect them to play aggressively, while also telling the fans, 'This year's Pacific League was interesting. I want to finish the season so that the fans will think, 'These two powerhouses led (the league),'" said Kokubo.

Yanagimachi is aware of the #Persol Award, given to the player who performed the most "extraordinary" in the series, and said, "I'm a big fan of batting, so I'd like to show my "extraordinary" performance by getting a hit in a tight situation or on home run. I would like to show my success and win the PERSOL Prize," he said with a smile.

Players Hotaka Yamakawa who had been adjusting in the 22nd Miyazaki Phoenix League, as well as Kenta Imamiya and Ukyo Shuto who had been out due to injury, also joined the first team. The experienced and dependable lineup is now ready to compete in the "SMBC Japan Series 2025".