This project looks back on the 2026 season of the Pacific League warriors. We will reflect on the performance of McCusker, who led the lineup by hitting a team-high 24 Home Runs in his first year in Japan.

The first foreign player to reach 20 home runs in six years, since 2020.

In 2025, McCuscar threw 22 Home Run in the minors and joined the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles this season. Although he struggled to adapt to the Japanese baseball early in the season and was removed from the roster twice, from May onward, he has shown overwhelming power as a core player in the lineup.

On May 29, in a game against Tokyo Yakult, he recorded his first Home Run in Japan, and the following day, the 30th, he recorded Home Run in the same matchup. Not only home run, but he also posted a high average monthly batting average of .308 in May, and in June and July, he showed impressive resilience with monthly batting averages in the high .200s.

Among them, the most memorable was the July 10 game against Fukuoka Softbank. First, in the top of the second inning, he delivered a fastball from Ryosuke Otsu pitcher to the middle of the left stands, then in the top of the fourth, he hit a perfect ball that kept outfielder unmoved. The momentum didn't stop, and in the top of the eighth, he hit a go-ahead 10th homer from Yuki Matsumoto pitcher, tying the club record for three Home Run in a single game.

Although his batting average dropped slightly in August, he played a central role with a 7 Home Run slump. On August 12, in the game against Orix Buffaloes, he added a comeback grand slam to Kenta Maeda pitcher 's 100th NPB win, and on August 27, he hit a massive home run that soared into the fifth floor of Kyocera Dome Osaka, reaching his 20th home run—the first in three years for the team and the first in six years for a foreign player.

McCuscar completed his first season after the transfer without major injuries and became an indispensable foreign player for the team. Next season, he will fully demonstrate his batting skills and deliver more win to fans in Tohoku.

◇ McCuscar Player 2026 Stats
102 games, 406 plate appearances, 89 hit 24 Home Run 70 RBI Batting average .246 On-base percentage .320 OPS .815