◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 6-5 Nippon-Ham (27th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo's strategy paid off, leading his team to victory in a close game. In the bottom of the 8th inning with no outs and the score tied, pinch hitter Nomura for Imamiya singled to center field. With one out and runners on first and third, Makihara hit sacrifice fly to give his team the lead. Imamiya, who has set a new professional baseball record by starting shortstop on opening short stop for 14 consecutive years, had already gotten hit in his first at-bat, but the decision to put Nomura, who is strong against fastball, against Furubayashi was brilliant.

Manager Kokubo stated at a press conference the day before, "I think this will be one of the most memorable days of my life, so I want to fully enjoy and savor it." He successfully replaced Uwasawa in the fifth inning with the score tied, and then handed the game over to Hikaru Kimura, Hernandez, Matsumoto Yu, and Sugiyama in a relay. He has a strong rivalry with Nippon-Ham manager Shinjo, and his determination to win was evident from the opening game.