◆ Farm Championship First Stage: Nippon-Ham 7x-6 Softbank Hawks (3rd, Shizuoka)

Nippon-Ham, ranked first in the East Division, defeated Softbank Hawks, ranked first in the West Division, with a walk-off victory, securing their advancement to the final stage on the 4th.

Nippon-Ham, who gave up two runs in the second inning, got one back in the bottom of that inning with an RBI hit from rookie infielder Hiroki Tsuneya, and tied the game in the third inning with an RBI hit from outfielder Kazuki Miyazaki. After taking the lead in the fourth inning on an opponent's wild pitch, they added three more runs in the fifth inning by concentrating five hits, including another RBI hit from Tsuneya, overwhelming the Softbank Hawks pitcher staff with a total of 13 hits and 6 runs.

On defense, pitcher Shoma Kanemura, who came on in relief in the middle of the second inning, brought momentum to the game with a strong performance, allowing only one hit and zero runs through the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, one run was given up due to a defensive error, and in the ninth inning with two outs, three runs were surrendered, allowing the opponent to catch up. However, in the bottom of the inning with one out and runners on second and third, they secured a win with a walk-off infield hit by Daiki Asama.

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.