CS first baseman stage Game 3
● Seibu Lions 1 － 4 Nippon-Ham ○
＜October 12, Belluna Dome＞

Tomotaka Sakaguchi, who appeared on Fuji TV ONE's 'Professional baseball News 2026' broadcast on the 12th, commented on the Nippon-Ham offensive unit that successfully executed a fake squeeze.

In the 7th inning with one out and a runner on third, and Nippon-Ham leading 3-1, Shu Yamagata showed a bunt stance, causing Hibiki Shinohara of the Seibu Lions to throw a wild pitch on the first ball. The third-base runner, Tatsuki Mizuno, stepped on home plate for the fourth point.

Sakaguchi said, "runner was fielder’s choice and Yamagata was the batter. The two of them can do anything. So, a fake squeeze play absolutely requires acting skills from both of them. Even if it doesn't lead to a mistake, they can keep putting pressure on the opponent by making it seem like they're really going to do it. Because these two executed the strategy so well, they were able to exploit the opponent's weakness and make them panic. It was a brilliant performance."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"