◆ Pacific League: Orix Buffaloes Rakuten Eagles (June 6th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Before the game, Orix Buffaloes held a fundraising event at Gate 3 of Kyocera Dome Osaka to support victims of the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake. Yuya Oda, a development coach from Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture, participated along with pitcher coach Motoki Higa and infield defense and base running coach Ryoichi Adachi. They called for support for their hometown, which suffered extensive damage, and thanked the fans who cooperated with high-fives and a heartfelt "Thank you."

Coach Oda, who played in a total of 681 games as defense outfield and base running specialist during his playing career and retired at the end of 2024, has mainly been working to coach young players in the farm system. "There was an earthquake 10 years ago, and there was another big earthquake this time. It's been a little over a week, but there are still people living in evacuation centers and families still without water. I wanted to help in any way I could," he said, explaining that he volunteered to participate in this fundraising activity. "I spent my first 18 years in Kumamoto, so I was very worried. I was wondering if there was anything I could do, and then the team reached out to me, and I'm very grateful." Coaches Higa and Adachi, who shared both the good and bad times with him during his playing career and contributed to the team's three consecutive league championships from 2021 to 2023, also came to support the relief efforts.

Coach Oda's parents, brother, and other relatives were fortunately safe, but he wore a solemn expression as he said, "It's a place with familiar scenery that I've grown up in. Every time I see news like that, my heart aches." Amidst all this, he said that fans had encouraged him with messages like, "Let's do our best together," and he bowed his head, saying, "I'm truly grateful. I'm usually the one doing the encouraging, so it was really encouraging to be the one receiving it. I felt it was incredibly powerful."

Since Hanshin Tigers-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, Orix Buffaloes have achieved consecutive league championships with the slogan "Let's do our best, Kobe." They sent a message saying, "All the players believe that we can cheer people up through sports. There is a history of baseball world doing its best during various earthquakes, so we hope that we can be of some help this time as well, even if it's just a little. Please take care of your homes and cope with the heat. We want to do everything we can to help in any way we can, so let's do our best together."