On the 26th, Motonobu Tanishige, Akihiko Oya, and Takahiro Saeki, who appeared on "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on Fuji TV ONE, commented on Nippon-Ham.

As Taniguchi said, "The three of us—Ito, Kitayama, and Kato—are very consistent," with ace Hiromi Ito leading the league with 8 wins, followed by Koki Kitayama and Takayuki Kato tied for second place with 7 wins each.

Mr. Oya pointed out, "I feel like they're managing the starting rotation well. I think the problem lies in the offense." He continued, "With pitcher, it's rare that the players we've been counting on have consistently performed well in the rotation throughout the season. The younger players who step up to fill in are what keep the rotation going for the season, so while it's a miscalculation that Arihara, whom we've been counting on, is in this state, I think the problem lies in how we're managing the game."

Saeki said, "Tatsuya isn't performing well as a starter, so he's been moved to the bullpen, and I think that's certainly a difficult situation, but I feel like there are a lot of defense errors."

While Nippon-Ham 's starting pitchers are stable, they have the league's worst record of 49 errors and many unseen defense mistakes. They are currently in third place, three games behind league leaders Seibu Lions, and are in a position to challenge for the league championship. They need to address their weaknesses.

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