Nippon-Ham infielder Kotaro Kiyomiya (27) will look to advance from third place by performing dynamically on his favorite stage. Their third-place finish was confirmed on the 5th. The Climax Series (CS) First Stage, starting on the 10th, will be played at Belluna Dome, the home stadium of the second-place Seibu Lions.

On the 6th, one night after the decision was made, Kotaro Kiyomiya emphasized after practice at Es-Con Field, "I really wanted to play at Es-Con again, but there is no change in our commitment to winning." With his sights set on hitting his first home run of the Climax Series, he is ready to pull off an upset victory.

The foundation is there. This year, he recorded a batting average of .333 at Belluna Dome, his best performance among all stadiums. 'I've been hitting better there compared to other stadiums, so I hope to use that as a source of confidence,' he said. As a team, they also achieved results there with 7 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. Kotaro Kiyomiya added, 'Our head-to-head record at Belluna isn't bad either. I hope we can fight with confidence in that regard.' They intend to carry the momentum from the regular season into the postseason.

For the past two years, they entered the Climax Series in second place and made it through the first stage. This is the first time they will face the big stage in third place. 'I think this is the culmination of this year, and I hope we can throw everything we've done over the past year into it,' he said, his voice rising with determination as the player representative.