◆ Pacific League: Softbank Hawks vs. Nippon-Ham (June 6th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)
The ceremonial first pitch before the match was thrown by Setoguchi Kokoro of the popular idol group "Nogizaka46".
Setoguchi is a member of "Nogizaka baseball Club," a unit comprised of baseball loving members of the group. The new song they performed, "Take Me to Pacific League," has also been chosen as the official collaboration song for Pacific League in 2026.
Setoguchi appeared wearing a uniform with number "46". With fellow Nogizaka baseball club members Aya Ogawa, Saya Kanagawa, Haruka Kuromi, Yuna Shibata, and Rio Nagashima watching, she delivered a no-bounce pitch into strike zone. "I wasn't confident until the very last moment, but the Nogizaka baseball club members encouraged me a lot, saying, 'You're amazing, do your best!' and that gave me the confidence to throw," she recalled with a smile.
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![[Scoreboard] Softbank Hawks vs. Nippon-Ham](https://hochi.news/assets/v2/img/hochi_news_sns.png)
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