◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Softbank Hawks 10-4 Hanshin Tigers (June 9, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Softbank Hawks won by a dominant Home Run with five consecutive inning from the first inning, tying the Pacific League record, maintaining their lead in interleague play. Isami Nomura infielder appeared in starting line-up games since the May 9 game against Lotte (Mizuho PayPay), contributing with 4 At Bat 2 hit 2 RBI in two consecutive at-bats.

In the second inning with one out and the score 2-0, he swung at the first pitch from Hanshin Tigers 's Saiki, a fastball slightly high and outside. The ball flew into the left-field stands for his first home run of the season. In the fourth inning with one out and a five-run lead, he hit another solo home run to left field, making it two home runs in two consecutive at-bats.

After playing in a career-high 126 games last season, he was determined to become the starting shortstop this season. He made an impression in the preseason with a batting average of .262, 2 Home Run, and 5 RBI, but he fell into a slump after the season started.

From mid-April, he became a regular at early morning training sessions, spending his days practicing with Yamakawa. During pre-game practice, Softbank Hawks uses a "mix" system where the batting pitcher throws fastballs and breaking ball randomly. However, he sometimes volunteered to practice only with fastballs, saying, "I can't even time the fastballs properly." He also made sure to talk with mental performance coach Ban Motohiro, constantly experimenting to figure out what to focus on at the plate. Even when he got home, if an idea about batting came to him, he would pick up his bat and think, "Maybe I'll try this tomorrow." There were times when he admitted to having "exhausted all his options," but the results were not what he hoped for. He wasn't in a discouraged state of mind, but batting was always on his mind.

Before the game against DeNA on the 5th (Yokohama), he spoke with hitting and skills coach Yuya Hasegawa and focused on making quicker decisions about whether to swing or not at the ball. As a result, in both the games against DeNA on the 5th and the 7th (Yokohama), he hit hit for singles. On this day as well, both of his hits were on the first pitch, clearly demonstrating his characteristic decisiveness.

After the game that day, he spoke about his journey so far this season, saying, "It's been pretty tough. It's hard, but even when I can't hit, I just have to keep going." "I'm happier than usual because I've been in a long period of not being able to hit." Nomura's return to hitting is giving the team even more momentum.