2026 Taiwan-Japan baseball International Exchange Game Taiwan vs. Softbank Hawks (26th, Taipei Dome)

Softbank Hawks Yoshiyasu Sasakawa outfielder He caught a 145 km/h pitch and quickly drove it into the middle of the stands. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a big hit," he said. I was aiming too much for the big hit in both at bats, so I went to bat a little more compact and center fielder conscious of the direction. As a result, I was able to catch a straight ball perfectly, and it led to a good home run connection," he recalled.

"I wanted to somehow produce a good result against the Taiwanese national team, which represents my country, and I wanted to show my batting skills to the Taiwanese fans, so I'm glad I was able to produce the best result I could." He also hit a powerful home run off Soya (Orix Buffaloes) in the game against Samurai Japan (Hinata Sunmarine) on the 22nd. He has hit home runs in games against both teams participating in the WBC. The 23-year-old, in his sixth year, is expected to be the "second Yanagita," and is showing signs of hitting his stride.