◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 11-1 Nippon-Ham (23rd, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Nippon-Ham suffered a crushing defeat for the second consecutive day, extending their worst-ever start to the season to seven consecutive losses against Softbank Hawks. Their deficit increased to two games, dropping them to fourth place. Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo's (54) 300th career win remains elusive. Why can't they beat Softbank Hawks who were considered their biggest rival in their quest for their first league championship in 10 years? Haruki Kawakami, who has been covering Nippon-Ham since last season, shares his observations.

The same scene as the day before unfolded. In the series Softbank Hawks, they allowed double-digit hit and double-digit runs for the third consecutive game since the game against Escon on April 12th. With a club-worst seven consecutive losses to start the season, manager Shinjo left the stadium dejectedly, saying, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, we'll win tomorrow."

In seven games, the 58 runs and pitcher squads have been unable to hold their ground. Among them, the starters have been 4 runs or better in all seven games, and Hosono, who suffered his fourth loss in three innings of 4 runs, reflected on his lack of boldness, saying, "I went too cautious and made it more and more difficult. He also said that he was afraid of the soft batting lineup, saying, "Even a ground ball becomes a hit because of the high velocity of pitches that other teams can't get past.

The difference in attack also became apparent. From the second inning, the leadoff hitter reached base for five consecutive inning but went 3-double play scoreless. In contrast to the champions with 11 goals in 16 hit, they managed only 1 goal in 11 hit. Gunji, batting third, reflected on the situation where the leadoff was taken with two outs and a runner on second in the third inning after Shuto's Walk by Kondo and Yanagida's timely hits, and analyzed, "People tend to focus on Kondo and Yanagida, but the players who anchor the wings are doing their work without forcing themselves. I felt their intention to connect the lineup to the back, and I felt this is what the batting lineup is like."

pitcher staff is struggling to find their rhythm, and the offense, despite hitting a league-leading 57 Home Run, lacks cohesion. The small differences in plays like advancing runners and Walk are what have led to the reality of a "0 wins, 7 losses" record. (Haruki Kawakami)