◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 7-5 Nippon-Ham (May 5th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Nippon-Ham lost to Softbank Hawks, giving Softbank Hawks a magic number of 37 to clinch the championship. Nippon Ham's record against SoftBank on the road is 8 losses in 8 games, a humiliating 2 wins and 14 losses. Furthermore, with 42 games remaining, their chances of winning the championship on their own have been eliminated.

After the game, manager Shinjo simply said to reporters, "We will win tomorrow," and then made an "X" with both hands, refusing to speak to the press. He left the stadium just one minute after the game ended.

Starting pitcher Kitayama was knocked out after just two innings, having given up six hit and five runs, his shortest outing of the season. He also gave up six runs in four innings against Softbank Hawks on May 24th (at Mizuho PayPay Dome). "I think I've just been getting results that reflect my true ability, and of course we're aiming for the championship, but I just have to accept that. The season is still going on, and I think there's still plenty of potential, so I'll try not to overreach, keep my feet on the ground, look straight ahead, and make improvements for the next game," he said, looking ahead.