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

Nippon-Ham, ranked first in the Eastern Division, secured a dramatic win with a walk-off infield hit by outfielder Daiki Asama in the bottom of the 9th inning, after their three-run lead was erased in the top of the inning. They have now reached the brink of their first farm championship in 29 years, since 1997 during the Eastern League era.

After winning a fierce battle that lasted 4 hours and 7 minutes, Nippon-Ham's farm team manager Atsunori Inaba looked back on the win with a smile, saying, 'In the end, everyone was conscious of keeping the line moving, and even after being cornered, Daiki (Asama, who hit the walk-off hit) showed his spirit by hanging in there with foul balls.'

The farm league was reorganized into a three-district system starting this year, and the Farm Championship features Nippon-Ham (1st in the East), DeNA (1st in the Central), Softbank Hawks (1st in the West), and The Giants (Central), who had the highest winning percentage among the second-place teams in each district. Manager Inaba welcomed the new tournament-style championship, stating, 'We can play high-tension games in a short-term series. It allows players to feel the importance of every single at-bat and every single pitch,' noting that it leads to increased experience for young players. He also expressed gratitude for the introduction of the three-district system that allows four teams to advance, saying, 'It's a benefit, or rather, thanks to the three-district system. If it were the Eastern League as of last year and The Giants and DeNA were at the top, we might have finished in third place.'