Yutaka Takagi and Hatsuhiko Tsuji, who appeared on 'Professional baseball News 2026' broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 17th, mentioned Yudai Yamamoto of the Softbank Hawks.

Yamamoto, who was the regular catcher for DeNA, moved to the Softbank Hawks mid-season. He performed well in 55 games with a .267 batting average, 6 Home Runs, and 41 RBIs, while also leading the Softbank Hawks pitcher rotation defensively. In the Japan Series, he will face his former team, DeNA, where he played until the middle of this season.

Yutaka Takagi predicted, "I think Yamamoto Yudai holds one of the keys to this battle." He shared his view, saying, "Since he came from DeNA during the season, Yamamoto Yudai probably knows the DeNA pitchers inside out. He has caught for them, so I think they will be completely exposed. He might not know everything about the hitters, but he likely has a fair amount of information in his head. It comes down to how DeNA can shut down Yamamoto Yudai. I think it depends on that."

Mr. Tsuji analyzed, "It's not just about the calculated data, is it? It's about what Yamamoto possesses. Both teams are becoming data-rich, aren't they? In that environment, you are facing the pitcher actually standing there, so you have to score points when you can. The team that can play that kind of baseball will win."

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