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

The Western Division leaders, the Softbank Hawks, showed resilience by tying the game in the ninth inning after trailing by three runs, but suffered a disappointing walk-off loss in the bottom of the inning. They missed out on their first farm championship since 2023, back in their Western League days.

After the game, farm team manager Kazumi Saito praised the performance of his young squad, saying, 'They hung in there well to keep the game competitive until that point. Although the result was disappointing, I think they did a great job.'

In the bottom of the ninth, the defense switched the pitcher from Ono to Kobayashi with one out and a runner on second. After a Walk and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, they allowed a walk-off infield hit to Asama.

Regarding the final scene, the manager explained, "I think there were aspects where it would have been easier to defend with the bases loaded, but the bases loaded situation has its own difficulties. As a result of my decision to have them compete, it turned out that way, but this was my mistake and not the players' mistake."

The Farm Championship, which determines the national champion of the Farm League reorganized into a three-district system starting this year, will be held in a tournament format featuring Nippon-Ham (1st in the East), DeNA (1st in the Central), Softbank Hawks (1st in the West), and The Giants (Central District, highest winning percentage among second-place teams). Manager Saito said, 'Perhaps it's due to the tension of a single-elimination format, but everyone had great expressions during practice today. I want to manage while thinking about how we can connect this experience to their growth.'