On the 22nd, Lotte announced that the final match of the CHIBA LOTTE MARINES CUP 2026 Chiba Prefecture Junior High School Hardball baseball Tournament supported by Daiyu Home (The Marines Cup 2026) was held at Zozo Marine Stadium on the same day, and that Matsudo Chuo Boys win Kisarazu Little Senior 2-1 to become the champions.

Matsudo Chuo Boys won the tournament for the first time. The Marines Cup 2026 is a tournament where junior high school hardball teams from Chiba Prefecture gather together, transcending league boundaries. The Marines Cup was first held in 2010 and continued for 10 consecutive years until 2019. This year marks the 16th tournament (it was not held in 2020 due to the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus, and the tournament was canceled from the second round onwards in 2021).

Last year's 2025 tournament winning team was Kisarazu Little Senior. Also, the battery from Matsudo Chuo Boys, the winners of The Marines Cup 2026, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at today's game against Nippon-Ham Fighters at Zozo Marine Stadium (game starts at 6:00 PM). The first pitch is scheduled for around 5:55 PM.

▼ Matsudo Chuo Boys The Marines Cup 2026 Winning Team Members

Shigehito Igaki (Coach), Koha Ishizaki (Captain), Shuhei Uenishi, Atsuto Suzuki, Aota Matsuura, Kazuki Yamashita, Junya Aoki, Seiji Aoki, Shota Agata, Kaisei Sato, Kazuki Aizawa, Misaki Nemoto, Eita Narushima, Eita Hirakawa, Kota Sakamoto, Eiji Seki, Go Ogasawara, Seiwa Oba, Toshimune Arima, Taisei Masuko, Masumi Yukimura, Haruto Suzuki, Hiroto Iida, Yuichiro Uchibori, Sota Saito, Reiri Yanase

▼ Captain Koha Ishizaki's comment

"At the opening ceremony, there were so many teams, and I'm really happy that we were able to stand at the top of 56 teams. It was a close game, 2-1, but I'm glad we were able to score one more run at the end and win. We decided to win as a baseball, and I think it was great that we were able to win by utilizing the individual abilities of each player, and by leveraging the strengths of our team, including the fact that even our reserve players are highly skilled."