This project looks back on the 2026 season of the Pacific League warriors. This season, we reflect on the performance of Ryoya Kurihara of Fukuoka Softbank, who achieved a third consecutive Persol Pacific League title with an overwhelming strength of 91 wins, 49 losses, and 3 draws, a winning percentage of .650, and an 11.5-game lead over second place, as he earned his first titles for Home Run king and RBI king.

Contributing to three consecutive league titles: The 2026 season that proved his evolution

Last season, Kurihara was limited to 80 games due to injuries that delayed his start to the season. This season, he hit a Home Run in his first at-bat of the opening game and got off to a strong start in April with 4 Home Runs and 12 RBI.

Entering May, his condition improved even further. After hitting Home Runs in two consecutive games starting on the 1st, he continued to hit home runs at a pace of about one every three games. On the 28th, he recorded two Home Runs in a single game, fully demonstrating his batting prowess with 11 monthly Home Runs in May.

His momentum did not stop there, and in the July 22nd game against the Orix Buffaloes, he went on a rampage with 5 hits in 6 At Bats, 2 Home Runs, and 5 RBI. Furthermore, in the All-Star game, which was his fourth appearance, he recorded two extra-base hits in the first game and also played catcher on defense in the second game. He greatly excited the fans by forming a battery of the same age with Seibu Lions pitcher Kona Takahashi for the first time in about 12 years since the 2014 U-18 Japan National Team.

Although his hitting stopped with 2 hits in 28 At Bats during the 8 games immediately following the All-Star break, he recovered after the middle of the month. From the August 20th game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, he recorded Home Runs in two consecutive games. In the same matchup on September 8th, he hit two Home Runs in one game, maintaining his mass-production pace late in the season, and reached his first-ever 100 RBI season in the September 5th game against the Seibu Lions. In the October 1st game against the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, he hit his 40th Home Run, the first for the club in 21 years.

Additionally, in Game 2 of the "Persol CS Pa" Final Stage, in the bottom of the 9th inning with the score tied and the bases loaded with one out, he hit a dramatic walk-off grand slam, showing the dignity of a Home Run king. In his 12th professional year, Kurihara significantly updated his career highs in Home Runs and RBI. Expectations are high for his performance next season as the club aims for its first-ever four consecutive league titles.

◇Ryoya Kurihara 2026 Stats
142 games 628 plate appearances 146 hits 40 Home Runs 118 RBI .271 batting average .365 on-base percentage .922 OPS