2026 PERSOL Climax Series Pacific League First Stage Game 2: Seibu Lions 0-1 Nippon-Ham (11th, Belluna Dome)

Nippon-Ham defeated the Seibu Lions to bring their head-to-head record to one win and one loss. They have now put themselves in a position to pull off a come-from-behind victory at the last minute.

In the fifth inning with two outs and a runner on second in a 0-0 game, Nomura, batting leadoff, hit a timely doble to left-center to take the lead. Starting pitcher Tatsu pitched six innings with 89 pitches, allowing three hits and zero runs to keep the team in the game.

From the seventh inning, they secured the victory by rotating through Fukushima, Hori, and Yanagawa.

After the game, Manager Shinjo lamented the high number of errors, saying, 'Five mistakes. We won't get stronger like this. It's a wonder we won. Honestly, the biggest factor was Tatsu-kun pitching without leaving in the early innings. There were missed signs, base running errors, defense, and throws—everything.' However, with the record now at one win and one loss, he looked forward, stating, 'Tomorrow will be another interesting match, and I think it will be the most exciting one yet.'

After the loss on the 10th, he commented, 'We lost when Roki Sasaki pitched too, didn't we? At the start. Since they took that one, I think everyone knows how to fight back. The fans who came today probably thought it was an interesting game, and although the outcome will be the opposite tomorrow, I want to show them another exciting match.' In the 2022 Climax Series First Stage against Lotte, they lost the first game but secured a comeback victory with two consecutive wins. He vowed to see a repeat of that performance from two years ago.