◆ "He was hitting fastball well, he's back," was the assessment.

Nippon-Ham 's Koki Kitayama started on the mound against Rakuten Eagles on the 8th. He pitched brilliantly, throwing 102 pitches over 8 innings, allowing only 3 hit strike out 10, Walk 1, and giving up no runs, earning his first win of the season.

On the Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News 2026" aired on the 8th, MC Yutaka Takagi said, "fastball was working well. I was worried about it during the WBC, and it wasn't working very well when he pitched in the first game of the season, but it's back." Commentator Tomotaka Sakaguchi praised him, saying, "It's back. In his case, when he throws fastball to the inside corner of left-handed hitter, once it gains momentum, it's not easy to hit." Takagi added, "It's a relief that they won with this."

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