The "2026 Persol Climax Series Pa" (hereafter, Persol CS Pa) will finally open tomorrow. Facing off in the first baseman stage are the 2nd place Saitama Seibu Lions and the 3rd place Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

With a game difference of only "1.5" and a head-to-head record of 12 wins, 12 losses, and 1 draw, both teams played a close contest. Which players will be the key men in the "Persol CS Pa"? This time, we will focus on Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and introduce the records each player achieved this season at Belluna Dome and against the Seibu Lions.

Koki Kitayama has been undefeated in 18 games against The Lions since his debut.

　Hiromi Ito pitcher had only 1 win and 2 losses in 8 games against The Lions, but pitched well with an ERA of 2.48. Although his ERA dropped to 3.18 in the 5 games he pitched at Belluna Dome, he achieved a QS in every game.

Pitcher Koki Kitayama, who won the most wins and the highest winning percentage this season, pitched brilliantly with an ERA of 1.57 in 4 games against The Lions, and allowed 1 runs in 6 innings in 1 game at Belluna Dome. Looking at his career totals, he had no runs allowed in 8 games in 2022 when he was active as a reliever, and since 2023 when he converted to a starter, he has a good compatibility with 5 wins and no losses in 10 games.

　Kota Tatsu pitcher also had an ERA of 2.45 in 7 games (including 4 starts) against The Lions, and Haruki Hosono pitcher also pitched well, allowing 1 runs in 7.2 innings in 1 game. On the other hand, Takayuki Kato pitcher, Kohei Arihara pitcher, and Ren Fukushima pitcher have struggled, but Arihara pitcher and Fukushima pitcher have recorded good results with an ERA in the 1s at Belluna Dome.

The "Persol CS Pa" first baseman stage is a maximum of 3 games. Which pitcher will be appointed as starters?

In the relief squad, four pitchers have an ERA of 0.00 in away games.

The relief corps, consisting of four pitchers—Taisei Yanagawa, Hiroya Shimamoto, Mizuki Hori, and Yi-Lei Sun—have achieved excellent results with an ERA of 0.00 at Belluna Dome. Even looking at their performance against The Lions, all four pitchers are rock solid with an ERA of 1.13 or lower. Seigi Tanaka, who is currently participating in the "23rd Miyazaki Phoenix League," shows great compatibility with Belluna Dome, posting an ERA of 2.08, which is significantly better than his season ERA of 4.26.

Kotaro Kiyomiya goes on a rampage at the opponent's home ground

Among fielders, Kotaro Kiyomiya and Tatsuki Mizuno boast high productivity at Belluna Dome with batting averages of .333 or higher and OPS of .901 or higher. In particular, Kotaro Kiyomiya's performance significantly exceeds his season average of .237 and OPS of .758. He is likely to be a key player in breaking through the "PERSOL CS Pa" first baseman stage.

On the other hand, Chusei Mannami, Yuki Nomura, and Ryota Isobata have struggled at Belluna Dome with batting averages in the .100s. Reyes also saw his numbers drop slightly to .286 from his season average of .313.

Yua Tamiya, Ryohei Hosokawa, and others achieved great results that exceeded their season averages.

Focusing on fielders who appeared in more than 50 games this season, Yua Tamiya, Ryohei Hosokawa, Ruan Ohtsuka, and Kengo Yoshida have recorded good results at Belluna Dome.

In particular, Yoshida has left impressive results with a .370 batting average and 3 Home Runs in 7 games, but he is currently participating in the Phoenix League. He performed well with 3 hits and 1 RBI in the first game of the league, but will he join the "PERSOL CS Pa"?

Will they be able to earn the right to challenge the champions, Fukuoka Softbank?

The first game of the "PERSOL CS Pa" first baseman stage, held at Belluna Dome, will be a 14:00 playball on Saturday, October 10th. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham is aiming for their first Japan Series appearance in 10 years, since their league championship and Japan Series title in 2016. Last season, they showed a fierce battle that went down to the final game in the Final Stage against the champions, the Hawks. Aiming for revenge, they head into the first baseman stage on enemy territory.

Will they show another brilliant performance on their favorite mound, or will a hit that saves the team burst forth from a batter with good compatibility? Or will an unpredictable drama unique to a short-term decisive battle be born? You cannot take your eyes off the outcome of this intense battle that transcends accumulated statistics for even a moment.

Text by Ryohei Shoji