◆ A crushing defeat in the first game of the series against the first-place Softbank Hawks: "This is the difficult part, isn't it?"

Nippon-Ham lost the first game of the series against the Softbank Hawks 1-14 on the 8th. In the 8th inning with a three-run deficit, with one out and the bases loaded, pinch hitter Tatsuru Yanagimachi's batted ball bounced high in front of second baseman Taiki Narama for a timely infield hit, leading to 10 runs allowed in that inning.

Regarding the defense that led to a large number of runs, on the August 8th broadcast of Fuji TV ONE's 'Professional baseball News 2026', commentator Hatsuhiko Tsuji pointed out, 'This is really difficult. If a line drive comes to an awkward spot, and you use your footwork to take a half-turn stance and catch it with a backhand or on the left side, as long as you catch it, it's a 100% double play.' However, he analyzed, 'But because it's such an important game, the fielder naturally tries to play it safe. That's the difficult part.' MC Mitsuru Manaka remarked, 'I suppose this is also a matter of experience.'

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