◆ Sakaguchi: "It was a step forward, or rather, courage..." "It was an at-bat where I put my heart into it."

Nippon-Ham achieved a dramatic 8x-7 win against Softbank Hawks on the 19th, overcoming a six-run deficit. Kotaro Kiyomiya hit the walk-off in the 10th extra inning.

On the Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News 2026" aired on the 19th, MC Yutaka Takagi reflected, "Watching today, I thought it was hopeless, but Kiyomiya was flustered defense and got picked pickoff, yet he did well to finish it off." Commentator Tomotaka Sakaguchi analyzed, "Today, pitcher Hernandez was off his game a lot. He must have felt some fear, but he swung hard at the very low pitch before that and missed, but I think it was the courage to step in and swing at that pitch that led to the walk walk-off off hit. There was a lot going on, and I think it was an at-bat where he put a lot of emotion into it." Takagi praised him, saying, "You have to put your heart into it. No matter how many times they turned the game around, I think he did well."

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