The "2026 PERSOL Climax Series Pa" (hereafter, PERSOL CS Pa) finally opens 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 season. Which players will be the key men in the "PERSOL CS Pa"? This time, focusing on the Saitama Seibu Lions, we will introduce the Belluna Dome results and the results against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham recorded by each player this season.

Kaima Taira has an ERA of 0.98 in 7 home games.

　Pitcher Chihiro Sumida has a season ERA of 2.27, and his performance at home is almost the same at 2.55. Against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, his ERA drops slightly to 2.83, but in the previous matchup (September 12), he delivered a brilliant pitch at Belluna Dome, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 0 walks or Hit by Pitch and 8 strike outs over 8 innings.

Pitcher 　Kona Takahashi and pitcher Kaima Taira both showcased masterful pitch performances at their home stadium. In particular, pitcher Taira has an ERA of 0.98 at Belluna Dome, and even against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, he has 4 wins and 0 losses in 5 games with an ERA of 1.41, meeting all the favorable conditions.

On the other hand, pitcher Natsuki Takeuchi, pitcher Yutaro Watanabe, and pitcher Shinya Sugai have struggled against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Especially for pitcher Watanabe, concerns remain as he has 0 wins and 6 losses with an ERA of 5.08 in 10 appearances at home.

The "Persol CS Pa" first baseman stage was won by securing the home-field advantage after a fierce battle for second place. In a short series of at most three games, which pitcher will be entrusted with the starting mound?

Shunsuke Sato pitched brilliantly against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, while Ryosuke Moriwaki struggled at home.

Pitchers Hiroshi Kaino and Hibiki Shinohara, who supported the bullpen this season, have both recorded good results in games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham at Belluna Dome. Especially at their home stadium, Kaino maintained an ERA of 1.40 and Shinohara an ERA of 0.47, continuing their excellent pitching with the support of the home crowd.

Additionally, while pitcher Shunsuke Sato had a season ERA of 4.26, he pitched well against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham specifically with an ERA of 1.69. This marked his best performance against any Pacific League team. Pitcher Yuta Nakamura has also shown his presence with an ERA of 1.23 in 8 games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

On the other hand, pitcher Ryosuke Moriwaki had a season ERA of 2.91, but recorded an ERA of 5.73 at Belluna Dome. Among the pitchers introduced in the table, Hakua Iwaki, Masaya Kuroda, and Shota Hamaya are currently participating in the "23rd Miyazaki Phoenix League." Furthermore, among pitchers not listed in the table, Haruto Yamada, Yuta Kuroki, E. Ramirez, and Sou Sato are registered on the first-team roster (as of the 8th).

Nevin has an OPS of over 1.000 against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

Among the fielders, Natsuo Takizawa and Nevin performed well against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Takizawa, who had a season batting average of .276, recorded a strong .319 average and a .417 on-base percentage against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. His only Home Run of the season was also marked against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham.

Nevin, with a season batting average of .265, went on a rampage with a .338 average and 15 RBI in 19 games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. He showed overwhelming productivity with an OPS of 1.115, hitting 7 of his 21 Home Runs against them.

　Sosuke Genda also hit .286 against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham compared to his season average of .218. Canario and Seiya Watanabe left matchup results equivalent to their season performance.

Yuto Koga and Shinya Hasegawa improve their performance at their home stadium.

Expanding the scope to fielders who appeared in 50 or more games this season, Yuto Koga hit .290 and Shinya Hasegawa hit .306, both leaving good results at their home stadium. However, in games against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, both players' results fell below their season averages.

For 　Taiga Kojima, Junichiro Kishi, Taiga Hirasawa, An-Ko Lin, and Kazunari Ishii, their home stadium performance did not differ much from their overall season stats. Masayuki Kuwahara was removed from the roster on September 9 and has not appeared in a regular season game since. Will he be able to make a comeback in the postseason?

Aiming for the Japan Series for the first time since 2008. First, can they earn the right to challenge the reigning champions, the Hawks?

The first game of the "PERSOL CS Pacific League" first baseman stage, held at Belluna Dome, will have its play ball on Saturday, October 10th at 14:00. Although the Saitama Seibu Lions won consecutive Pacific League titles in 2018 and 2019, they have been away from the Japan Series since becoming Japan champions in 2008. Can they first take advantage of their home-field edge to win the first baseman stage and earn the right to challenge the reigning champions, the Hawks?

Will we see another brilliant performance on the favored mound, or will a team-saving hit emerge from a favorable turn at bat? Or will an unpredictable drama unique to short-term series unfold? You won't be able to take your eyes off the course of this intense battle that transcends accumulated statistics for even a moment.

Text by Ryohei Shoji