Nippon-Ham Kohei Arihara gives up 7 runs to a Hawks lineup with 8 left-handed hitters; Iwamoto criticizes him, saying, "I didn't feel any fighting spirit on mound at all throughout the game" | Pacific League

Nippon-Ham Kohei Arihara gave up 7 runs to the Hawks' lineup, which consisted of 8 left-handed hitters. Iwamoto criticized him, saying, "I didn't feel any fighting spirit from him on mound throughout the game."

Baseball King

March 29, 2026 21:30

Nippon-Ham 'Kohei Arihara (C) Kyodo News

◆ Mr. Oya points out, "When Arihara gets hit..."

Nippon-Ham 's Kohei Arihara started on the mound against Softbank Hawks on the 29th. He was hit hard by a lineup of eight left-handed hitter, throwing 112 pitches over 6 innings, giving up 10 hit, runs strike out 3, and allowing 7 Hit by Pitch (5 earned), resulting in his first loss of the season.

Regarding Arihara's struggles against his former team, Tsutomu Iwamoto, the MC of Fuji TV ONE's "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 29th, analyzed, "I was watching with high expectations, but I didn't feel any fighting spirit on the mound at all. So, from the middle of the game, it was so unlike Arihara that I wondered if something was wrong with him. I also thought he was being a little too evasive."

Commentator Akihiko Oya pointed out, "When Arihara gets hit, his arm motion becomes very weak. His off-speed pitches get hit quite a bit, and he loses his rhythm. Today, it felt like Arihara was overwhelmed by the fighting spirit of Softbank Hawks hitter."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"