Rakuten Eagles' Kosei Shoji delivered a masterful strike out show. On the 2nd, he pitched 8 innings and recorded 11 strike outs. By recording a career-high 11 struck out batters, he earned his 7th win of the season. With this, his total number of strike outs for the season reached 141, moving him to the top of the league.

Hiroki Nomura, who served as a commentator on the CS Fuji TV ONE program 'Professional baseball News' broadcast on the same day, also took notice of this superb performance. He praised it, saying, 'These are impressive numbers. To deliver this pitch while the start was delayed by rain today is remarkable.' Furthermore, he highly evaluated the content of the pitch, stating, 'While a pitcher naturally aims for a struck out, it is not often that they can actually get one exactly as intended. I think there were several instances today where he got the batter struck out exactly as he planned, so I was able to see what Shoji's pitch is truly all about.'

Furthermore, Tomotaka Sakaguchi expressed high expectations for his further growth, saying, "His pitches are so powerful, his breaking balls have great angles, and he can get a struck out whenever he aims for one. He has all the necessary elements, so I want him to become the ace and continue on to win titles."

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