◆ Baseball Musings 2026, Part 32
It's the Obon season. baseball world is also bustling with activity during the peak of summer's holiday travel rush.
With each team having played around 100 games in the pennant race, the competition has reached a critical make-or-break stage. In particular, Central League reports that the Yakult, who had been cruising in first place since the season opener, have suddenly lost momentum. After losing to the The Giants on the 8th and dropping to the B Class, DeNA has risen to take their place.As of the 10th (same for the rest of this article), there is an 8.5-game gap between the co-leaders Hanshin Tigers and The Giants and third-place DeNA, but the gap from third to fifth place—Chunichi—is only four games. Even last-place Hiroshima is only six games back, so with the Climax Series in mind, it’s not an insurmountable distance.
Along with DeNA, Chunichi has been gaining momentum this month.
After winning all three games in the series against Yakult on the 6th, they escaped last place for the first time since May 9th. In August, they have a good record of 6 wins and 2 losses, including a five-game winning streak, and are becoming a dark horse in the league.
Among these rising stars, one player who stands out the most is 36-year-old veteran Toshiki Abe.
In the game against Hanshin Tigers on the 7th, he came in as a pinch hitter with two outs in the 9th inning. With runners on second and third base and two outs, he hit a game-winning doble off Hanshin Tigers 's closer, Rafael pitcher, to claim the spotlight.
At this point in the season, his pinch-hitting record is 11 hit in 32 At Bat, giving him a batting average of .344, and his batting average with runners in scoring position has jumped even higher to .429. He is now an absolute force, known as the "God of Pinch-Hitting."
"There's no point in overthinking it. I tried not to think about it," said the "god" as he reflected on his heroic at-bat. While his skill in sending Dolis's 153 km/h high-speed sinker down the left-field line with a single swing is impressive, his ability to keep things simple and decisive in crucial situations without overthinking is likely a "godlike" skill honed through years of experience.
His nickname is "Master." He got this nickname because the mustache he grows under his nose makes him look somewhat like a bar owner.
Chunichi In 2022, after his performance had declined despite his strong play, he was traded to Rakuten Eagles. The player traded in exchange was Hideaki Wakui pitcher, who was the team’s ace at the time.In 2024, he earned a reputation for his clutch performance, including nine game-winning hits, but the following year, in 2025, he was released as part of the team’s youth-oriented strategy. It was his former team, Chunichi, that extended a helping hand.
The master, who has returned with his beard grown back after having shaved it off, is giving the team invaluable power.
Softbank Hawks, who have already managed to pull off a magic number in August, also have a "god of pinch-hitting." That player is Tatsuru Yanagimachi. It's difficult to call him a "god" because he also plays as a pinch hitter, but fans have nicknamed him the "master of pinch-hitting," taking the "Tatsu" from his name.
In the game against the Seibu Lions on the 7th, he came in as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning with the score tied and hit a game-winning triple to left-center field. At that point, his pinch-hitting stats stood at 6 At Bat 5 hit 6 RBI. He was posting an astonishing .833 batting average.
He has a well-established reputation for his batting skills, having won the title for the highest on-base percentage last season. However, even with that, the high level of competition at Softbank Hawks means that if your performance doesn't improve even slightly, you can lose your starting position. In outfield, where Yanagimachi plays, there are absolute powerhouses like Kensuke Kondo and Ukyo Shuto, and he's competing with rivals for the remaining spot. Because of this fierce competition for survival, he won't be able to secure a starting position unless he produces results when pinch-hitting.
The timing of a pinch hitter's appearance changes rapidly depending on the situation. They are often called upon in crucial moments when the team wants to change the flow of the game, but in which inning will that come? Who is the opposing pitcher? What kind of hit will be required? It is in these critical situations that a pinch hitter's job is to carry the team's expectations on their shoulders.
Looking back at the history of past "pinch-hitting gods," players like Kozo Kawato, Hiroshi Yagi, Shinjiro Hiyama, and Fumihito Haraguchi of Hanshin Tigers leave a strong impression. This is likely due to the enthusiasm of the Tigers fans at Koshien and the frequent media exposure they receive.
Outside of Hanshin Tigers Tigers, I can't forget the miraculous home run hit by Kintetsu's Hirotoshi Kitagawa against Orix Buffaloes in 2001. Appearing as a pinch hitter in the final game with the championship on the line, Kitagawa recorded a "pinch-bases loaded, game-winning, grand slam Home Run that clinched the championship," a feat that remains etched in baseball history. It is a unique and unparalleled achievement in the long history of NPB.
Even in the remaining pennant races this season, there will undoubtedly be moments where a pinch hitter's swing can change the course of the entire season.
The powerful attacks and dramatic events involving "God" and his candidates are not to be missed.
Text by Kazuo Arakawa
