◆ RAXUS Asia Professional baseball Championship 2026: Australia 1-16 Japan (7-inning mercy rule) (14th, Tokyo Dome)

In the 'Luxas Asia Professional baseball Championship 2026', Samurai Japan overwhelmed Australia with 16 runs, winning by a called game in the 7th inning for their third consecutive victory. They have secured a spot in the finals. In the first inning, Rui Muneyama infielder (23) hit a grand slam for his third consecutive game with a home run, and the team scored 11 consecutive runs without a single out being recorded. They decided the match with a historic onslaught, the most runs scored in a single inning in an international tournament featuring professional players.

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Attention to detail, incorporating the essence of a top-tier hitter, generates explosive power. Muneyama modified his batting form midway through this season. He changed the position of his left foot, his pivot foot, from being parallel to pointing the toes about 3 centimeters inward. 'The goal is to be able to store power in the hip joint of my pivot foot. This is the result of thinking about how I could better transfer power to the ball.' This is a technique designed to store power and lead into a sharp swing.

It is a unique style rarely seen in the baseball world, but Muneyama, who has a sharp eye for observation, does not miss the movements of these two star players. 'Among other hitters, Reyes (of Nippon-Ham) and Chikamoto (of the Hanshin Tigers) also turned their (pivot foot) toes inward.' He has evolved by incorporating elements from these two representative hitters of both leagues who possess both power and skill: Reyes, who has won a Home Run title, and Chikamoto, who has been crowned the leader in hits. (Kota Miyauchi)