2026 Persol Climax Series Pacific League Final Stage Game 1: Softbank Hawks 6-4 Nippon-Ham (14th, Mizuho PayPay)

Nippon-Ham suffered a comeback loss to the Softbank Hawks and lost the first game. Including the advantage, their record now stands at 0 wins and 3 losses from Nippon-Ham's perspective.

Nippon-Ham catcher Yuya Gunji deeply reflected on his defense error. In the 4th inning with the score tied and one out with the bases loaded, Gunji, playing left field, made a painful dropped ball on Masaki's fly ball to left (recorded as a sacrifice fly and an error). This unexpected mistake led to a large number of runs. 'It was a technical error. I was thinking about the throw and the glove moved away from my body, so my reflection is that I should have focused on catching it securely first,' he regretted.

It was a mistake made while being conscious of the runner. 'I knew I couldn't get them at home, so I rushed because I wanted to throw it back quickly to prevent them from reaching third,' they squeezed out.

Even so, he showed his spirit with the bat. In the seventh inning with one out and trailing by three runs, Gunji caught a first-pitch fastball thrown by Osuna. It was a solo home run to the left-field stands. 'It was a home run I couldn't purely celebrate. However, in a short series, we have to switch gears and keep looking forward, so I want to make up for it,' he said with determination.