Orix Buffaloes released the main visual for its very popular annual event "Bs Orihime Day 2026" on November 11. The theme of this year's event is "Natural Style. The top 11 players selected by Olimen voting by female fans (Wakatsuki and Soya tied for 10th place) appeared in simple styling with shirts, pants, and sneakers all in white, based on the visual concept "natural." Coming in at 8th place was Taisuke Yamaoka pitcher (30). The right-hander, who has been waiting for his turn in the farm since the opening of the season, revealed his determination for an early promotion to the first team.

In his tenth professional season, after switching back to a starting role, he began the season in the minor leagues, where he had a record of 1 win and 4 losses ERA 4.38 in 7 games. Accepting his current situation of not having pitched in the major leagues, he vowed to make a strong impression, saying, "Results are everything. I have to keep going and produce good results."

For the two years from 2024, he didn't have a single start, appearing in a total of 47 games as a reliever. In the minor leagues, he regained his pitching power, strength, and feel, and earned his first win on the 6th against Softbank Hawks (Tamasta Chikugo), runs only one run in six innings. "I want to pitch in the first team as soon as possible," he said, and what he needs to do to achieve that goal is to keep going. His next scheduled start is in the three-game series Softbank Hawks starting on the 15th (Sugimoto Shoji BS, Sakai), which will likely be an important mound for him.

On this day, the main visual for the annual "Orihime Day" event for female fans was unveiled. Yamaoka, who finished 8th this year, is a regular at the "Orimen" event. From the first event in 2019 to 2021, he was the only one to achieve a "three-peat." He described the existence of his fans as "something I have always cherished." He emphasized, "I want to be prepared so that I'm ready whenever I'm called upon." Popularity, achievements, plus adrenaline. He is preparing for the moment of truth. (Toru Nagata)