◆ The numbers have improved across the board: "There are no throwing mistakes, are there?"

Nippon-Ham 's Kohei Arihara started on the mound against Rakuten Eagles on the 9th. He pitched a superb game, throwing 118 pitches over 9 innings, allowing only 6 hit out 11, strike out one Hit by Pitch, and giving up no runs, earning his second consecutive shutout game win.

From March to May, Arihara struggled ERA of 7.34, Avg of .305, strike out rate of 6.03, and Hit by Pitch rate of 3.67, but so far in July and August, he has made a complete comeback with an ERA of 0.60, Avg of .206, strike out rate of 8.10, and a Hit by Pitch rate of 1.20. On the Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News 2026" broadcast on the 9th, MC Tomotaka Sakaguchi said, "Compared to the beginning of the season, he's not getting hit as much, his Hit by Pitch rate has decreased, and strike out rate has increased, so I think he's back in his original form," to which commentator Akio Saito agreed, "It feels like Arihara is back in his form." Saito further analyzed the changes in his pitching, saying, "In the first half, pitch balance was poor and there were times when his form broke down, but today, just like last pitch, he lifted his leg and his stepping foot didn't waver at all. As a result, his body was able to shift well and his arm was able to swing, so I think fastball was fast and breaking ball were sharp. He wasn't making any mistakes when he pitch."

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