On October 20th, G.G. Sato and T-Okada appeared on the Persol Pacific League TV official YouTube channel's "Monday is also for Pa-Tele." With Hiroyuki Nakajima as a guest, they predicted the outcome of the "SMBC Japan Series 2026."

In this season's Japan Series, it has been decided that the Pacific League champions, Fukuoka Softbank, who advanced through the "Persol CS Pa" with three consecutive wins, will face the Central League's 3rd place Yokohama DeNA, who broke through from the first baseman stage with six consecutive undefeated wins, for the first time in two years.

In their previous matchup in 2024, Fukuoka Softbank got off to a great start with two consecutive wins, but Yokohama DeNA fought back with four consecutive wins to become the champions of Japan. Nakajima, looking back at Fukuoka Softbank's performance this season, said, "They don't swing at balls out of the zone at all, and if a sweet pitch comes, they catch it for a home run; they're certainly strong," but he predicted that the victory in this series would go to the "Yokohama DeNA with momentum." Specifically, he stated, "I think it will drag on until the final game, 4 wins to 3. I think that would be more interesting."

On the other hand, T-Okada expressed his expectations, saying, "Since I was a Pacific League person, I want the Pacific League to win." He continued by revealing his reasoning, "The Hawks are strong, after all. I've felt their strength seeing them up close, and all the players know baseball," while G.G. Sato avoided a specific prediction, saying, "I don't do those kinds of predictions... (laughs)." However, he revealed an unexpected connection: "I was on the same team as Yokohama DeNA manager Ryoji Aikawa in elementary school and have known him for a long time, so I'm rooting for him!"

Will Fukuoka Softbank achieve back-to-back championships, or will Yokohama DeNA pull off an upset from 3rd place? The "SMBC Japan Series 2026" will kick off on Saturday, October 24th, at Yokohama DeNA's home ground, Yokohama Stadium.

LIVE Streaming Program "Monday is also for Pa-Tele"
・Streaming Date: Every Monday from 21:00 (Scheduled to stream until October during the season)
・Streaming Platform: Persol Pacific League TV Official YouTube Channel
・Cast: 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 week on the 26th (Monday), Motonobu Tanishige and Tomoya Satozaki are scheduled to appear. Don't miss it!