◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: DeNA 3-6 Softbank Hawks (June 6, Yokohama)

His heart leaped with excitement at the reunion. Softbank Hawks 's Yu Maeda had special feelings about his first appearance in the interleague games. It was the second inning. The first batter he faced was DeNA's Matsuo. It was his first time facing his senior from Osaka Toin High School. With a 2-1 count, he got a ground ball to the shortstop. "He was the one I wanted to closer. From there I was able to find my rhythm and my tempo improved," he said, and after "striking out Matsuo," he retired 12 hitter in a row.

The two formed a battery in the 2022 Spring Koshien tournament when they achieved national championship. Despite being the younger one, he's allowed to speak informally to her, and has called her "Shion" since then. At a press conference held on May 25th just before the interleague game, Matsuo declared war on him, saying, "You're always so cocky, so I want to hit you," but he "fought back," saying, "I saw the press conference, but it's more interesting if the younger one wins." In the 5th inning, he hit a ground ball to third base, not letting Matsuo do his job.

In the first inning, he struggled with control, giving up one run on three Walk, including a bases-loaded walk, but he pitched five innings, allowing only one run, to secure his third win without runs. Manager Kokubo acknowledged his growth, saying, "The fact that he was able to control the game from the second inning onward is important for a starting pitcher." The third-year left-hander is steadily progressing and will contribute to reaching the "top" on the professional stage. (Tosei Moriguchi)