◆ Takagi laments, "Ryota Isobata was the runner on second base... It was such a waste."

Nippon-Ham faced Softbank Hawks on the 5th and lost 5-7. In the 9th inning, with Walk and doble with no outs and runners on second and third, pinch hitters Hiroki Tsuneya and Yushin Shimizu were hit by two consecutive swinging struck out, and the game ended without scoring afterward.

Regarding Nippon-Ham pinch-hitting offensive in the final inning, which proved fruitless, Takagi Yutaka, the MC of Fuji TV ONE's "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 5th, smiled wryly with his shoulders slumped, saying, "It was a close call." He continued, "They had runners on second and third with no outs, and it didn't really matter who they used as a pinch hitter, but what was the manager's request at that time?" Commentator Tsuji Hatsuhiko replied, "Of course, he wanted them to get hit. At worst, even a ground ball to second base would have allowed them to score a run and still create a situation with one out and a runner on third." When Takagi pointed out, "infield were playing deep," Tsuji criticized them, comparing them to SoftBank, saying, "That's why Softbank Hawks Kensuke Kondo doesn't hit like that. It might be a misnomer to say they're a strong team, but winning teams are able to do those things properly."

Furthermore, Takagi said, "I think there were a lot of things they could have done," to which the other commentator, Kenji Tomashino, speculated, "If they had scored a run and advanced runner to third base, the game would have unfolded differently." Takagi lamented, "A two-squeeze runner, for example, with Ryota Isobata on second base. I'm sure the opposing team was on guard, but it feels like a missed opportunity," but he concluded, "However, I think it was good that they showed determination not to give up until the very end."

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