◆ Pacific League League: Lotte vs. Seibu Lions (27th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Seibu Lions 's first-round draft pick, catcher Taiga Kojima, hit his first professional hit off Lotte's second-round draft pick, left-handed pitcher Kaito Mori, who was his classmate at Meiji University.

In this opening game, Kojima starting line-up as the number 9 batter and catcher, while Mori served as the opening pitcher. In the third inning with one out and Lotte having taken a 1-0 lead, Kojima came up to bat for the first time. On the second pitch, a 124 km/ slider he hit the ball through the gap between first and second base. It was a right-field hit, his first hit in his first professional at-bat.

Kojima was drafted first overall by Seibu Lions in 2025, while Mori was drafted second overall by Lotte in the same year. The two were battery mates at Meiji University and led the team to its first championship in five seasons last fall. On the 26th, the day before the opening game, Kojima expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I'm happy to be able to play with my former teammates, and I wasn't able to get a hit in college, so I'd like to get one now."