Akihiko Oya, who appeared on "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on Fuji TV ONE on the 28th, commented on the timing of the substitution of Orix Buffaloes 's Espinoza, who started the game against DeNA that day.

Espinoza had closer six runs innings, throwing 97 pitches, but in the seventh inning, with the score 1-0, pitcher Kosei Yoshida gave up a go-ahead three-run homer to Yota Kyoda. Espinoza missed out on his sixth win, and Orix Buffaloes also lost the game.

When the show's MC, Hiroki Nomura, asked, "It was 97 pitches, so you could say it was a planned substitution, but it looked like he could have gone one more time, what do you think?", Oya replied, "In modern baseball, they don't usually let pitcher go one more time. If it's planned, they almost always make the substitution at that point, so I don't think he has any regrets. We think that's fine. We think so, but that's the kind baseball baseball 's played nowadays."

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