◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Chunichi 1-2 Softbank Hawks (June 4, Vantelin Dome)

It was the moment he hit it. In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on third base, the cleanup hitter fulfilled his role in a golden opportunity given to them by an opponent's error. Softbank Hawks 's Kurihara perfectly timed Kanemaru's first-pitch fork, sending a two-run homer to right field, his 17th of the season and the most in all 12 teams. "I don't get to come here very often, so I'm glad I could play a good game in front of The Hawks fans in Nagoya," he said, his first home run in three games leading his team to their seventh consecutive win in interleague play, the first time in 15 years that a team has achieved this in the same season.

The man who impressed in May with a league-leading 11 Home Run and 26 RBI continues his momentum into June. In this series, he has 4 hit and 6 RBI in 3 games, extending his consecutive RBI to 5 games. The team captain is leading the offense with a humble attitude, saying, "I'm just desperately trying to get one hit every day."

The team has won three straight series against the same opponent for the second consecutive time, and achieved a club-record six-game winning streak against the Chunichi Dragons. They are in excellent form, with an 8-1 record after three interleague series. The team's slugger, who is leading the interleague series in Home Run and 14 RBI, is also on the verge of reaching 100 career home runs. "I don't have any desire to achieve it quickly. If that one home run can contribute to the team's win, then I want to hit it as soon as possible." Towards their goal of winning the Japan Series again, they are first pushing forward to win the interleague series again. (Tosei Moriguchi)