Softbank Hawks 's Ryoya Kurihara is showing outstanding performance.

Kurihara played in all 143 games in 2021, batting .275 Home Run and 77 RBI, and in 2024, he played in 140 games, batting .273 Home Run and 87 RBI, but injuries and significant fluctuations in performance were noticeable.

This season, he has consistently recorded hit since the start of the season, never having gone three or more games without hit, and is currently on a three-game hit with a batting average of .293, ranking fifth in the league.

In the game against Lotte on the 8th, he hit a solo Home Run from Rikuto Yokoyama in the 9th inning of a 3-5 game, and this Home Run sparked a lineup that broke down Lotte's guardian deity and walk-off won the game. In the game on the 10th, he hit a final solo shot in the 4th inning of a 2-2 game.

He currently leads the league with 10 Home Run and 27 RBI. He has shown a presence that rivals that of key players like Kensuke Kondo, Yuki Yanagita, and Hotaka Yamakawa. In a team with many veterans, generational change is essential. In that context, it is very reassuring to see Kurihara, who will turn 30 this July, leading the batting lineup.