◆ What are the key pitches? "If I mix them well, I can develop a wide range of pitch."

Rakuten Eagles 's Tatsuki Koja made his first start on the mound since June 10th in the game against Softbank Hawks on the 12th. Although he allowed a go-ahead hit and a two-run Home Run to Ryoya Kurihara, he pitched a tenacious game, throwing 93 pitches over 6 innings, allowing 6 hit strike out 6, Walk 1, and giving up 3 runs.

Kosha suffered a close loss due to a lack of offensive support. Regarding his first appearance in a month, Kenji Tomashino, a commentator on Fuji TV ONE's "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 12th, pointed out, "Overall, it wasn't bad. However, in the first 1 to 3 innings, he just couldn't help but let the leadoff hitter get on base." He continued, "As the game progressed, he was able to use change-up effectively to get the job done. I think if he could mix in his change-up more effectively against Softbank Hawks, he could develop an even wider range pitch. It was a good pitch performance today." MC Tomotaka Sakaguchi also nodded in agreement, saying, "It looks like it will lead to future success."

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