The commentators who appeared on the Fuji TV ONE broadcast of Professional baseball News 2026 on the 23rd shared their outlook for the Japan Series between the Softbank Hawks and DeNA.
In the first game on the 24th, held at DeNA's home ground, Yokohama Stadium, Yutaro Ishida will start for DeNA and Naoyuki Uwasawa will start for the Softbank Hawks. Hiroki Nomura predicted, 'I thought they might go with Azuma, as he would have exactly six days of rest for the first game. However, I get the impression they put the younger Ishida first due to age considerations and to ensure he is in the best possible condition. I expect Azuma will go in the second game. For the third and fourth games, it will likely be a question of whether Taira or Ogata goes first.'
Hatsuhiko Tsuji said, 'Since Moinelo was hit hard in the final stage and I was wondering how his condition was, they brought in Uwasawa for the first game. I think it shows just how important that opening match is.'
Ryota Igarashi spoke about the strategy from the second game onwards, saying, "I think it will change depending on how the games have been played up to that point." He expressed his expectations, stating, "Maeda started appearing this year, and I am paying attention to what kind of pitching he will show in the Japan Series. He had stability during the regular season and has great courage on the mound, so while it depends on the flow of the game, I am interested in Maeda's pitching. If Ogata takes the mound at that time, he will be facing his former team, so I think the third game will be a very interesting battle."
Motonobu Tanishige said, "From the perspective of The BayStars, I wonder about games one and two. I thought it might have been better to swap Ishida and Azuma, but with this order, Azuma can also pitch in relief later. If Ogata goes first in Fukuoka, then Ogata will be able to join as a reliever at the end. I felt that this order might be fine."
<Professional baseball News Program Predicted Starters>
[DeNA]
Game 1: Yutaro Ishida
Game 2: Katsuki Azuma
Game 3: Shuto Ogata
Game 4: Kentaro Taira
Round 5: Hirotaka Katayama
Game 6: Yutaro Ishida
Game 7: Katsuki Azuma
[Softbank Hawks]
Game 1: Naoyuki Uwasawa
Game 2: Moinelo
Game 3: Yugo Maeda
Game 4: Haru Matsumoto
Game 5: Taiga Kamichatani
Game 6: Naoyuki Uwasawa
Game 7: Moinelo
☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"
