SMBC Japan Series 2026 Game 3: Softbank Hawks 2-1 DeNA (10th extra inning, 27th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

The Softbank Hawks have moved one step closer to their second consecutive championship by winning the first three games of the Japan Series in extra innings, a first in history. In the bottom of the 10th inning with one out, Masaki hit his first-ever walk-off home run over the left-field wall. He said with a wry smile, 'I was really just thinking about getting on base to pass the baton to the next hitter, so it wasn't until I was between second and third base that I realized it was a walk-off home run. While I was rounding the bases, I felt like I should have celebrated a bit more.'

This was his second home run of the series. The catalyst was his teammate Kondo. During the second game of the CS Final Series against Nippon-Ham on the 15th (at Mizuho PayPay Dome), he hit a left-field doble off Kitayama in his second at-bat. Immediately after, he was told, "Your swing is looking good, but it can get even better." During practice, he was taught a variation of a drill Kondo uses during tee batting, which changed the way his bat head moved. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "I didn't change my form at all, but I changed my awareness slightly. The rotation of my body and the rotation of the bat started to sync up. That was the real factor in why things improved."

With only one win left to become the best in Japan for the second consecutive year, he renewed his determination, saying, 'From tomorrow onwards, it will truly and absolutely be a difficult match. I want to be the kind of player who can win through that and deliver hits in those moments.'