2026 Persol Climax Series Pacific League Final Stage Game 1: Softbank Hawks vs. Nippon-Ham (14th, Mizuho PayPay)

Nippon-Ham catcher Yuya Gunji hit a solo home run to start the counterattack.

It was the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, trailing by three points. Gunji connected with the first pitch, a fastball thrown by Osuna. It was a solo home run to the left-field seats. With a single swing, he narrowed the lead to two points.

There was no smile on Gunji's face as he rounded the bases. In the fourth inning with the score tied and one out and the bases loaded, Gunji, playing left field, made an unexpected drop on Masaki's fly ball to left (recorded as a sacrifice fly and an error). This painful mistake led to a large number of runs. Nevertheless, he showed his spirit with the bat.