On the 23rd, Nippon-Ham lose to Rakuten Eagles 2-3 in their game at Escon F. Ren Fukushima, making his first start of the season, gave up 8 hit, 3 Hit by Pitch, and 3 runs in the middle of the 6th struck out, failing to secure his first win of the season. Shohei Tateyama, who appeared as a commentator on CS Fuji TV ONE's "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 23rd, commented on Fukushima's pitch: "His early strikeouts were good, but pitcher fastball had a sinking motion. It wouldn't settle and kept going high, I think catcher had a tough time today... Although he managed to build up his pitches from the middle innings by using various balls like cutters and slider, Fukushima is a capable pitcher, so first he needs to control fastball well. If he can then focus on his slider and fork from the middle innings, I think he can pitch fewer pitches."

"You could say that strike and balls were clearly defined, but if I could throw more inside, my other high pitches would be more effective. It was a shame that all of my inside pitches ended up with a sinking motion this time," he said, pointing out his control of the inside corner.

Kenji Yatsushino, who was also on the commentary, said, "Looking at your body shape and the way you throw, I think you can angle pitcher the ball. If you can angle the ball and cutter have a ball that moves, I think the hitter will get a pile of ground balls," he advised about pitch techniques that make use of one's physique.

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