◆ Farm Championship First Stage: Nippon-Ham vs. Softbank Hawks (3rd, Shizuoka)

Nippon-Ham added three runs in the fifth inning with a concentrated attack of five hits, including an RBI single by outfielder Yuma Imagawa, extending their lead to four points.

With runners on first and second and no outs, Imagawa, the DH standing in the batter's box for the third time this game, hit a 2-2 high fastball into left field for an RBI hit. The team added more runs with an RBI hit to left field by the eighth batter, infielder Hiroki Tsuneya, which was his third hit of the game, and an RBI hit by catcher Kengo Yoshida that struck the third baseman.

The Farm Championship, which determines the number one farm team in the Farm League reorganized into a three-district system starting this year, will feature Nippon-Ham (1st in the East District), DeNA (1st in the Central District), Softbank Hawks (1st in the West District), and The Giants (Central District), who had the highest winning percentage among the second-place teams in each district. On the 3rd, two matches will be held in the first stage: Nippon-Ham vs. Softbank Hawks and DeNA vs. The Giants, with the winners facing off in the final stage on the 4th for the national title.