◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Nippon-Ham 4x-3 Chunichi (13th, ES CON FIELD)

The deafening cheers felt wonderful. Nippon-Ham ・ Tatsuki Mizuno infielder (25) thrust his right index finger skyward and leaped into the circle of celebration where his teammates awaited him. With the score tied 3–3 in the bottom of the ninth and one out, he connected with a pitch from Soka’s slider and launched his third solo home run of the season walk-off into right-center field.“Once I got into the game, my nerves had settled, but this was the first time I’ve ever gone completely blank with excitement.” It was his third three-hit game of the season and his first dramatic home run in his fifth year as a pro. With a batting average of .296, he ended a close game with a single swing, halting the Shinjo Ham Fighters’ unstoppable short stop streak.

With that priceless hit, the team won the league championship and the Japan Series, achieving their ninth consecutive win—the first time since their 15-game winning streak in 2016—and raising their lead to a season-high seven games above .500, moving them up to third place. After the game, manager Shinjo was ecstatic, saying, "Unbelievable. So this is how you win when you're on a winning streak." Although closer Yanagawa gave up two runs in the ninth inning to tie the game, he smiled at the momentum of his teammates as they immediately took the lead again in the bottom of the inning.

The gap between league leaders Seibu Lions has narrowed by only 2 during their winning streak, now 4-5 games. With Pacific League dominating interleague play, people said, "Pacific is strong. Is there any point in holding interleague games?" (laughs)" he lamented. The winning streak records, including '18 consecutive wins, right? That's Katsuya Nomura of Nankai The Hawks,' aiming for a record-high 18 consecutive wins in 1954 and Daimai in 1960.

In his fifth year as manager, his first title in the interleague series depends on the results of the remaining two games between Softbank Hawks and Seibu Lions. "That's not the point. It's about what comes after winning the interleague series," says the manager. He hopes to secure the title for the first time since 2007 and use it as a stepping stone to his ultimate goal of winning the league championship. (Haruki Kawakami)