Akio Saito and Akihiko Oya, who appeared on "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 4th, commented on Nippon-Ham 's Kota Tatsu.

Last season, Tatsu appeared in 16 games, recording 8 wins and 2 losses with an ERA of 2.09, and was expected to be the team's main pitcher this season. However, in his first appearance of the season on March 28 against Softbank Hawks, he gave up 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. In the game Orix Buffaloes on April 4, he gave up 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Akio Saito said, "Since I was beaten last time, I think I was throwing and coming in with the feeling of trying to make it fly from the first inning. His straight line was good, but his breaking ball was not sharp enough. I guess I had a strange sense of power. It's like my lower body and upper body arms don't balance each other, like fastball is good, but breaking ball is not. There's no smoothness, in your pitching form," he pointed out.

Oya commented, "As Saito said, I think his eagerness led to tension at the start. From around the third inning, his pitches started to get lower, and he gradually got into his own rhythm. He gave up three runs, but I think he did well in the middle innings. That effort gave us reason to be optimistic about his next appearance."

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