◆ Tanizawa: "I want him to return as a starter," Iwamoto: "I want to see him in action again."

Orix Buffaloes 's Taisuke Yamaoka made his first appearance in the first team on the 19th against Nippon-Ham, his first appearance since May 24th. He pitched well, throwing 20 pitches over 2 innings, allowing no hit, one Walk, and no runs.

Regarding Yamaoka's return to the mound after two months, when asked by MC Tsutomu Iwamoto of Fuji TV ONE's "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 19th whether it would be better for him to go into relief or return to being a starter, commentator Chikao Ikeda responded, "It's a difficult question. He has the ability to pitch, and I think the team would really appreciate it if he could be a starter. So it would be great if he could be a starter, but when we use him like this (in relief) and he performs like this, he's pitcher who can be used in various situations, so it's a difficult decision." Another commentator, Kenichi Tanizawa, said, "He's originally a starter. He has a very good breaking ball, and his fastball has good movement. In that sense, I feel like I'd like him to return to being a starter."

Iwamoto expressed his hopes, saying, "He's pitcher who has achieved solid results in the past, so I'd really like to see him in action again."

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