The NPB Junior Tournament KONAMI CUP 2025 (held from the 26th to the 29th at Jingu Stadium and Yokohama Stadium), a baseball tournament featuring selected teams of fifth- and sixth-graders, kicked off on the 26th. In the second game of the first day of the tournament (held Yokohama Stadium), Chiba Lotte Marines Juniors defeated Orix Buffaloes Juniors in a 4-3 come-from-behind walk-off off, kicking off the season with a win. Manager Kobayashi Hiroyuki praised the players, saying, "The kids were more nervous than I expected. (When they were first formed) they weren't a vocal team, but gradually they started to get excited and yell together. They were able to do it in the main tournament, so the kids are amazing."
Kiki (6th grade), the eldest son of Lotte Marines pitcher Naoya Masuda, who is just two saves away from reaching 250, was also selected and will wear the same number 52 as his father. Although he did not play on the day, he said enthusiastically, "I want to shout with all my might and do my best to play to the best of my ability." Arata Furukawa (6th grade), who started as the eighth batter and right fielder and hit a dramatic walk-off run, said with an excited expression, "I was determined to turn the game around. It felt good."
The tournament was founded in 2005 with the philosophies of "dreams," "growth and progress," and "vibrant and shining figures." This will be the 21st tournament. A total of 16 teams, including the 12 NPB teams, Oisix, Kufu HAYATE, Route Inn BC League, and Shikoku Island League Plus, will compete for the championship.
In the past, Kensuke Kondo outfielder (Softbank Hawks, Lotte Junior), Hiroki Matsui pitcher (Padres, DeNA Junior), Tomoya Mori catcher (Orix Buffaloes, Orix Buffaloes Junior), Teruaki Sato infielder (Hanshin Tigers, Hanshin Tigers Junior), and others have participated and gone on to the professional world. Yakult (1st, Ayukata Matsushita infielder (Law University, DeNA Junior), Seibu Lions (1st, Taiga Kojima catcher (Meiji University, DeNA Junior)), and 1 Five players from junior tournaments were selected.
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