On October 5th, Ryota Igarashi, Sho Nakata, and T-Okada appeared on the Persol Pacific League TV official YouTube channel's "Monday Patere-iki Supported by Scalp D." Together with a data analysis specialist, they analyzed the weaknesses of Fukuoka Softbank this season.

In the second half of the program, Mr. Miyashita, a data analysis specialist from Delta Inc., was invited to thoroughly decipher Fukuoka Softbank's strategy this season under the title "Deciphering with Data! Weaknesses of The Hawks." This season, Fukuoka Softbank achieved a third consecutive league title with overwhelming strength, leading the 12 teams in both batting average and runs scored, and maintaining a game lead of over "10" over second place. However, the data reportedly reveals a certain weakness.

That weakness is that the "batting average and slugging percentage against fastballs of 150km/h or more are low." The team batting average of .173 and team slugging percentage of .286 against fastballs of 150km/h or more both rank 5th in the league. Seeing this data, Sho Nakata showed a look of surprise, saying, "That's unexpected!?" while T-Okada had a complex expression, saying, "Even if this data exists, if you were asked if you could go all out with fastballs against a lineup like that, could you? Using a fastball as a finishing pitch is quite scary..."

Here, Mr. Igarashi shared his view: "Conversely, isn't it possible that they can't hit balls over 150km/h precisely because the distribution of pitches (to Softbank Hawks hitters) is centered on breaking balls? Even though they have a lineup of power hitters, it's hard to go right at them with a straight fastball, isn't it? If the percentage of fastballs thrown to Softbank Hawks hitters was low, it would mean that because the percentage of breaking balls is high, the 150km/h fastballs shown occasionally are effective."

Supporting this, when Mr. Miyashita presented data showing that "the percentage of fastballs thrown to the Fukuoka Softbank lineup was the lowest in the league at 38.6%," Mr. Igarashi seemed convinced, saying, "I knew it!"

He continued, "So, if you flip this weakness around, it means they aren't hitting 150km/h+ fastballs well when mixed with breaking balls, but it could also mean they would hit them if you just threw 150km/h+ balls recklessly, right? Very interesting!" Sho Nakata also nodded, saying, "That possibility exists. It means each hitter in the Softbank Hawks lineup is able to get into a hitter-favorable count."

Attention is now focused on the outcome of the "2026 Persol Climax Series Pacific," which is finally about to begin.

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"Monday Patere-iki" started with the desire to create a time for professional baseball and Pacific League fans to enjoy even on Mondays when there are few games. This week was brought to you with the sponsorship of "Scalp D," a brand that focuses on the scalp environment and offers a wide range of products from scalp shampoos to hair growth treatments and care devices.

LIVE Streaming Program "Monday Patere-iki"
・Streaming Date: Every Monday from 21:00 (Scheduled to stream until October during the season)
・Streaming Platform: Persol Pacific League TV Official YouTube Channel
・Performers: A pair of professional baseball alumni appearing on a weekly rotation
(Ryota Igarashi & Sho Nakata / Ginji & Yuji Kaneko / G.G. Sato & T-Okada / Motonobu Tanishige & Tomoya Satozaki)

Next Tuesday the 13th, Ginji and Yuji Kaneko are scheduled to appear, with Hatsuhiko Tsuji as a guest. Don't miss it!