◆Nippon Life Central-Pacific Interleague Series 2026 Hanshin Tigers 0–1 Seibu Lions (16th · Koshien)

Seibu Lions Hanshin Tigers, , finished the Interleague season with a record of 14 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie, claiming the franchise’s first-ever championship. In the fifth inning, with the score tied 0–0, (32) broke the deadlock with an RBI single, and the team held on thanks to a 4 relay. With a consistent performance that saw them finish with a winning record against every team, this marked the latest championship in the since the Interleague Play began in 2005.Kuwahara, who won the Interleague Championship in 2023 while with DeNA and joined the team this season via free agency, contributed an exclusive essay to Sports Hochi, candidly detailing his reasons for the move and his impressions of the team from both inside and outside the organization. win Masayuki Kuwahara outfielder pitcher shutout game Central League Pacific League

After a few seconds of silence, Nine slowly stepped forward, savoring the taste of his first joy. In the ninth inning, with two outs and a runner on first, the fourth batter, Kaino, swinging and hitting Tateishi with a struck out lead. They won two consecutive matches 1-0, demonstrating their strength in the battle. Their winning percentage reached the highest ever in interleague play history at 82.4%, reaching the only peak in the Pacific League that had not yet been reached. His expression as he headed toward the fans gathered in the left field stands was filled with a sense of fulfillment.

With their absolute cornerstone absent, a key player secured win. Nevin was absent due to poor physical condition. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with one out and a runner on second base, Seibu Lions 's oldest starting pitcher at 32, Kuwahara, who was batting leadoff and playing left field, hit Saiki's slider to center field for a game-winning RBI single. "Isn't that a hit typical of me?" he said with a smile.

In a team primarily composed of young players, Kuwahara has one thing he's conscious of: "Don't show any signs of guilt." There are days when results don't come. Even then, he continues to look forward. "It's easy to get caught up in the ups and downs of the game depending on the results, but I want them to play proudly on ground from the start of the game until the final out." He leads the young lions with his big back.

The Lions In the second year of the Nishiguchi administration, he expressed his delight at winning his first title: “Pacific League, we were the only ones (in the Interleague Play) who hadn’t won the championship, so I’m happy.“Being number one in anything is a joy, so I want to celebrate,” said Manager Nishiguchi. It was an Interleague series in which the players responded well to flexible lineups on both the pitching and hitting sides. In the games against Hiroshima on the 9th and 10th (at Belluna D), Hasegawa—whom the manager named MVP for “leading the team”—recorded a hit in two consecutive games walk-off.The starting rotation, which he cited as one of the reasons for the victory, featured six pitchers—Watanabe, Takahashi Hikaru, Taira, Takeuchi, Sumida, and Wainans—who each made three starts and delivered stable performances pitch.

Their interleague ERA of 1.53 is the second best, behind only Nippon-Ham 's 1.35 in 2011. In this crucial game, where their first interleague championship was at stake, Takeuchi pitched six runs innings, closer only three scattered single hit, and recorded a career-high 10 strike out. Combining last season's "winning through baseball" with this season's slogan "breaking through," they are producing a string of games where everything clicks into place, and the Lions are poised to become true champions. (Ayami Onaka)

Recording notes

▼... Seibu Lions wins the interleague series for the first time. Looking at the number of championships...

Team Soloo Nippon-Hiroshima Rakuten West Giants Yakult Swallows

Winner 922111221

(Hiroshima, Chunichi, and Hanshin Tigers are not included.)

It was the last championship for a Pacific League team.

▼...14 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw, a winning percentage of .824. This surpasses Softbank Hawks 's 18 wins, 4 losses, and 2 draws in 2011, which was a winning percentage of .818, giving them the highest winning percentage in interleague play.

▼...They won the championship by winning more games against all six Central League teams. Winning all six series in the interleague play makes them only the fourth team in total to achieve this feat, following Softbank Hawks in 2009 and 2011, and Yakult in 2022.