A valuable home run off Moinelo: "It felt like the game really tightened up."

Nippon-Ham's Yuma Imagawa started as the 'number 4 left fielder' in the game against the Softbank Hawks on the 1st. He hit a game-tying solo Home Run in the second inning.

Imagawa hit a valuable home run off Softbank Hawks starter Moinelo. On the June 1st broadcast of Fuji TV ONE's 'Professional baseball News 2026', MC Mitsuru Manaka reflected, 'The early game-tying home run was very encouraging.' Commentator Tomotaka Sakaguchi praised the performance, stating, 'Being able to catch up in the early innings was significant for the team. When Imagawa hits, the team's morale rises, and there's an overall feeling that they can gain momentum, which I felt really tightened up the game.'

When the other commentator, Akihiko Ohya, expressed surprise at Manager Shinjo for informing the player of his cleanup spot role via an SNS message, saying, 'He tells them in advance that he'll use them in the cleanup spot, and the player responded brilliantly,' Mitsuru Manaka praised Imagawa for meeting those expectations, adding, 'On the other hand, it seems like it would increase the tension. But it really was a great performance.'

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