On October 20th, GG 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 next season's Home Run king.

In the middle of the program, titled "2027 Title Race Predictions," they predicted the title winners for next season in four categories: leading hitter, most Home Runs, best ERA, and most strike outs. Regarding the most Home Runs award, Nakajima said, "Ryoya Kurihara or Koki Yamaguchi. I think it will be a battle between these two..." He named Fukuoka Softbank's Ryoya Kurihara, who won this season's Home Run title with 40 Home Runs, and Chiba Lotte Marines' Koki Yamaguchi, who narrowly missed out in 2nd place with 38 Home Runs (a 2-run difference) but showed a late-season surge with 10 Home Runs in August.

First, regarding Kurihara, who reached the 40-homer mark for the first time in 21 years for the club, GG Sato showed a surprised expression, asking, "How can he suddenly hit 40?" Nakajima praised his high adaptability, saying, "Isn't he incredibly good at hitting the inside course!?"

On the other hand, regarding Yamaguchi, T-Okada praised his growth, saying, "It's huge that he's become able to pick up breaking balls." In response, GG Sato revealed, "He said himself that he got better once he focused on not letting his eyes wander," and Nakajima emphasized his high potential, saying, "His swing has been amazing since he was young."

This season, both Kurihara and Yamaguchi showed their presence by recording Home Runs that significantly exceeded their career highs. While Kurihara is currently preparing for the "SMBC Japan Series 2026," expectations are already high for both players' performances next year.

LIVE Broadcast Program "Monday is also for Pa-Tele"
・Broadcast Date: Every Monday from 21:00 (Scheduled to broadcast until October during the season)
・Broadcast Platform: Persol Pacific League TV Official YouTube Channel
・Cast: A pair of former professional baseball players appearing on a weekly rotation
(Ryota Igarashi & Sho Nakata / Ginji & Yuji Kaneko / GG 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!