This project looks back on the 2026 season of the Pacific League warriors. This season, the Orix Buffaloes suffered a series of injuries among both pitchers and hitters, finishing in 4th place with 65 wins, 76 losses, and 2 draws. We reflect on the performance of Ryoma Nishikawa, who played in 143 games to lead the lineup and won his first Most Hits award.

The first walk-off hit since the transfer, as well as the first grand slam since turning professional.

He got off to a good start in March and April after the opening, batting .318 (34 hits in 107 At Bats). Notably, in the game against the Chiba Lotte Marines on April 9th, he hit his first walk-off RBI single since his transfer with the formidable bat control characteristic of Ryoma Nishikawa. In June, he recorded a monthly batting average of .345 (29 hits in 84 At Bats) with 2 Home Runs and 11 RBI over 21 games, including his first career grand slam (June 28th against the Rakuten Eagles). In July, he made an appearance in the All-Star game as a manager's selection.

A characteristic of this season was the increase in home runs from the second half of the season. While he had 6 home runs at the end of July, he hit 4 home runs in August and 3 in September, reaching double-digit arches for the first time in four years since 2022.

Meanwhile, the race for the most hits remained a close contest until the very end. Entering September, Ryoma Nishikawa finished the season with 155 hits, finishing his season slightly ahead of his rivals despite a slower pace than before. Three days later, Misho Nishikawa of the Chiba Lotte Marines also reached 155 hits, and the "Double Nishikawa" shared the title for the most hits in the Pacific League this season.

In the 2026 season, he played in all 143 games for the first time since turning professional and also won his first batting title. Will the milestone of 160 hits in a season, which has not occurred in the Pacific League since 2023, come from Ryoma Nishikawa? Let's look forward to his genius batting technique next season as well.

◇Ryoma Nishikawa 2026 Stats
143 Games 612 Plate Appearances 155 hits 13 Home Runs 54 RBI Batting Average .271 On-Base Percentage .309 OPS .702