Akio Saito, who appeared on "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 2nd, commented on Nippon-Ham loss to the league-leading Orix Buffaloes.

Nippon-Ham was 7-2 at the end of the 4th inning and the relief team could not hold on to a 5-run lead. Koji Fukutani, who took the mound from the 5th inning, was hit by 2 runs by Tomoya Mori, 2 runs in the 1st inning, and Yukiya Saito, who took the mound from the 6th inning, was hit by 3 runs by Yuma Mune and tied the score. They scored 1 run in the 7th inning and took the lead again, but lost 3 runs in the 8th inning and lost 9-10.

Saito criticized Nippon-Ham relief pitchers, saying, "It's a bit worrying that the relief pitchers gave up hits despite having so many runs. Manager Shinjo trusts them and puts them in, but pitcher are betraying that trust with their pitching. They should be throwing with all their might, even if it means throwing balls, but instead they're trying to throw strike and getting hit. I think they need to think more about how they structure their pitches and their pitch selection."

Saito added, "As pitcher myself, I think this was a game that Nippon-Ham absolutely could not afford to lose. I think losing it will have an impact on tomorrow's game."

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