On the 27th, Softbank Hawks outfielder Kensuke Kondo held a talk show with former player Igarashi Ryota in Fukuoka City. When Igarashi recommended batting order first due to his high on-base percentage, Kondo himself responded with enthusiasm, saying, "Personally, I think batting first is interesting. There are a ton of point scorers. With that many members, it's easy to bat first, because the job of getting on base and passing the ball to the next batter is easy."
He then went on to say, "The most important thing to consider is who will bat after (Ohtani) Shohei. I think only (Suzuki) Seiya, Murakami, or Okamoto can hit. I think the rest will be decided by lining up those two and fitting them into batting order. I would never want to bat after Ohtani. That should be left to a major leaguer," emphasizing the importance of hitter behind Ohtani, who is under pressure.
In the previous tournament, the lineup was Nootbaa at first, Kondo at second, and Otani at third. Murakami was initially batting fourth, but he fell into a slump, and Yoshida was given the role from the quarterfinals onwards.
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