Seibu Lions 's Natsuki Takeuchi pitched brilliantly, allowing no runs through the middle of the seventh inning to earn his ninth win of the season, putting him one win win from double digits. On the CS Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News" broadcast on the 16th, attention was drawn not only to Takeuchi's excellent pitching but also to the leadership of his battery partner, rookie Taiga Kojima.

Tsutomu Iwamoto highly praised Kojima's pitch selection in the early innings. "When he received Takeuchi's pitches at the start, he quickly sensed, 'Let's base our strategy on this pitch today,' and made excellent pitch calling," he said.

Kenji Tomashino also commented on Kojima's pitch calling, saying, "Despite being a rookie, he was able to use his core pitches effectively." He further explained about Takeuchi, "He was able to consistently throw fastball and slider to the knees of right-handed hitter. This made them aware of that, which made his outside change-up more effective." He praised Kojima's pitch selection, which brought out Takeuchi's strengths, and Takeuchi's own control, which responded to it.

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