◆ The turning point was "how to move Mizuno, who was hitting well..."

Nippon-Ham win Lotte 7-4 on the 24th. In the first inning, the leadoff hitter Shun Mizutani hit a single to left, followed by sacrifice bunt from the second batter Tatsuki Mizuno and the Walk from the third batter, Reyes, widened the chances. Although the cleanup hitter Yuki Nomura was thrown by a swinging struck out, with two outs and runners on first and second, the fifth batter Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a timely doble to take the lead.

On the Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News 2026" aired on the 24th, MC Yutaka Takagi reflected on Shinjo's tactics, saying, "The first inning's offense was everything. Mizutani hit the first pitch, and it was Mizuno who was hitting well. At this point, Mizuno gestured for another sign, and I was like, 'Huh? sacrifice bunt?' and he executed it perfectly. I think the bench had pretty much anticipated hit' Walk. And the key to the game that day was how Nomura and Kiyomiya would hit. Nomura struck out, and Kiyomiya had a hit that made you think, 'They brought him in as a pinch hitter yesterday,' which I think was a big deal." Commentator Hatsuhiko Tsuji pointed out, "The fact that they had Mizuno bunt meant they absolutely wanted to score a run here. And the fact that they were able to do that was also huge. (Having him bunt when he was hitting so well) is something that has never happened before."

Another commentator, Takahiro Saeki, analyzed, "The most important thing is that they sacrificed players who were hitting well in order to create a situation for the players who were replaced yesterday. (Walk to Reyes) was probably within expectations. As for fork that Kiyomiya hit afterwards, if that had gone to the outside corner where he was positioned like the previous swing and miss, it's a 'what if' scenario, but it might have resulted in that. He was able to swing and hit the opposite pitch that came inside like that." Takagi then praised, "The course of the game might have changed completely. It was a brilliant offensive play."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"