◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Softbank Hawks 8-4 The Giants (28th, Tokyo Dome)

Softbank Hawks 's Kurihara's momentum is unstoppable. In the 7th inning with two outs, he hit his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field, his second of the game. He also extended his RBI RBI to 38, giving him a commanding lead in two leagues. Home Run surpasses even Hanshin Tigers 's Sato Teru, making him the league's top hitter in both leagues. "It's a miracle. It's insane. I'm shocked, even by myself," he said, looking surprised at his first month with 10 home runs.

He was in terrible form during the preseason games, to the point that the coaching staff considered removing him from the opening day starting starting line-up. However, when the season actually started, he awakened as a power hitter in his 12th year as a professional. He's on pace to surpass his career high of 21 home runs in 2021 next month. Manager Kokubo acknowledged his growth, saying, "He's getting more at-bats where he can swing properly at his own timing. Even when he hits a foul ball, it's by a hair's breadth." Team chairman Oh also praised him, saying, "Hit double digits in a month is amazing. He's very composed."

The man who is becoming the team's undisputed cleanup hitter muttered after the game, "I want to train. I want to do more weight training." This ambitious attitude is the source of his good form. (Koichiro Shimao)