Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo expressed his hope on the 8th for the title holders to continue their active performance.

This day marked the first full team practice at Mizuho PayPay since the end of the regular season. This season, Kurihara won the double crown of Home Run king and RBI leader, Kondo achieved the highest on-base percentage, Shuto became the stolen base king, and Sugiyama earned the title for most saves. The manager, who himself captured numerous honors such as Best Nine and Home Run king during his playing days, praised the consistent performance of the three players, saying, 'In this world, they say you are a full-fledged professional after three years. Ukyo (Shuto) and Kensuke (Kondo) have done it for many consecutive years now. For Sugiyama, this is also his second year in a row.'

The manager began by saying, "People say I'm tough on Kurihara and Yanagimachi..." and highly praised him, stating, "The figure of 40 (Home Runs) is amazing." Regarding Kurihara, who left overwhelming results in two batting categories along with 118 RBI, he expressed further expectations, saying, "If he produces similar numbers next year, he will likely be positioned as a top player that everyone acknowledges."