[Softbank Hawks] Screams from the crowd as Soichiro Ishizuka is hit in the face by a Hit by Pitch and taken away in an ambulance. Manager Hiroki Kokubo: "It hit him squarely." Orix Buffaloes 's Machado ejected for throwing a dangerous pitch | Pacific League

[Softbank Hawks] Screams from the crowd as Soichiro Ishizuka is hit in the face by a Hit by Pitch and taken away in an ambulance. Manager Hiroki Kokubo: "It hit him squarely." Orix Buffaloes 's Machado ejected for throwing a dangerous pitch.

Sports Hochi

June 23, 2026 21:28

In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Soichiro Ishizuka collapses after being Hit by Pitch in the head by a pitch (catcher: Kenya Wakatsuki; photo by Haruko Yoshimura).

◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 0-5 Orix Buffaloes (23rd, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Softbank Hawks Hawks catcher Soichiro Ishizuka suffered an unfortunate injury. In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, he stepped up to the plate when the fourth pitch from Orix Buffaloes, with a 1-ball, 2-strike, hit him directly in the face. He collapsed to the ground and was unable to move, and was carried off on a stretcher while manager Kokubo and other coaches watched.

Orix Buffaloes 's Machado was ejected for throwing a dangerous pitch. The stadium was in an uproar, with fans screaming and the stands filled with people watching anxiously. Afterwards, Ishizuka was taken away in an ambulance with his neck and head immobilized. Manager Kokubo revealed after the game, "He was hit squarely, so we had no choice but to take him to the hospital immediately in an ambulance."

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