The Softbank Hawks' starting rotation was truly magnificent.

Ryosuke Otsu, Yugo Maeda, and Haru Matsumoto combined for 12 wins, while Naoyuki Uwasawa also recorded 10 wins. Even though it would not have been surprising for the starting rotation's situation to become difficult after last season's wins leader Kohei Arihara moved to Nippon-Ham and ace Moinelo had a late start, Yugo Maeda and Haru Matsumoto emerged, resulting in a solid starting lineup by the end of the season. In particular, the number of surplus wins from the quartet of double-digit win pitchers is remarkable.

Results of the double-digit win quartet

Ryosuke Otsu 22 games, 12 wins, 5 losses, 144 1/3 innings, 2.68 ERA

Haru Matsumoto: 22 games, 12 wins, 3 losses, 125 1/3 innings, 2.66 ERA

Yugo Maeda 19 games 12 wins 1 loss 111 2/3 innings ERA 2.10

Naoyuki Uwasawa: 22 games, 10 wins, 4 losses, 135 1/3 innings, 2.39 ERA

Appearing on 'Professional baseball News 2026' broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on October 5th, Masaki Saito expressed his surprise, saying, 'Why does everyone have so few losses? And this is even without Moinelo. Even coming in later, he has 6 wins and a 0.76 ERA. Those are incredible numbers. With so many hidden gems like this, it is clear why the Softbank Hawks are strong.' Tomotaka Sakaguchi also remarked, 'Even when they aren't getting the win, as long as they can put the game together and hang in there, they have that lineup to back them up.'

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