[Four Hawks players headed to the WBC] Today's Pacific League [January 16th] | Pacific League

[Four Hawks players will be competing in the WBC] Today's Pacific League [January 16th]

Pacific League Insight

January 16, 2026 18:30

Players selected for the Japanese WBC team [Photo: provided by the team]

◇ 11 additional players announced for Japan's WBC national team

Eleven additional players have been announced for the 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC™ to be held in March 2026. Comments from the national team players and the newly announced players from the six Pacific League teams are as follows. The final official player roster will be announced on Friday, February 6th.

▼ Scheduled participants ▼
*Titles omitted, team names in parentheses
・Additional players announced
Hideto Maki (Yokohama DeNA BayStars) #2
Kenya Wakatsuki (Orix Buffaloes The Buffaloes) #4
Taisei Makihara (Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) #5
Sosuke Genda (Saitama Seibu Lions) #6
Teruaki Sato (Hanshin Tigers) #7
Kensuke Kondo (Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) #8
Seishiro Sakamoto (Hanshin Tigers) #12
Tomoyuki Sugano (Baltimore Orioles, currently a free agent) #19
Ukyo Shuto (Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) #20
Shota Morishita (Hanshin Tigers) #23
Yuki Matsumoto (Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) #66

・Players already announced
Yuki Matsui (San Diego Padres) #1
Hiromi Ito (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) #14
Daisei (Yomiuri Giants) #15
Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) #16
Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels) #17
Atsuki Taneichi (Chiba Lotte Marines) #26
Kaima Taira (Saitama Seibu Lions) #61
Daichi Ishii (Hanshin Tigers) #69

▼Comment from Sosuke Genda ▼
"I am extremely honored to have been selected to represent Japan in the WBC. I feel a sense of responsibility as a member of the team representing Japan. I will fully understand the role expected of me and make each and every play that will lead to the team's win. I will never forget the responsibility of representing Japan, and will do my best to fight for Japan."

▼Comment from Kenya Wakatsuki ▼
"I am extremely honored to have been selected as a member of the Japanese national team for the WBC. I will do my best to prepare for the tournament so that I can contribute even a little to the team's win."

▼Comment from Taisei Makihara ▼
"I'm grateful to have been selected for the tournament again, following on from the last one. I have a lot to carry on my shoulders, but I hope to go all out and play my own style. I'll do my best to win the championship again and show people the strength and appeal of Japanese baseball. Just like last time, tensions are already building, so I hope you'll be kind and supportive."

▼Comment from Kensuke Kondo ▼
"I am happy to be able to compete again on the big stage of the WBC, representing Japan. Our goal for this tournament is to win back-to-back championships, and I want to be of help to that end. I will fight with all my might, feeling grateful and responsible for being selected to represent Japan. And I hope Shohei (Ohtani) will do his best once again."

▼Comment from Ukyo Shuto ▼
"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for being selected to represent Japan. I will do my best to perform at my best and fulfill my role so that we can win the championship again."

▼Comment pitcher Yuki Matsumoto ▼
"First of all, I'm happy to have been selected to represent Japan on such a big stage as the WBC. There is a great sense of responsibility in representing Japan, but I hope to turn that into strength and pitch to my full potential. I will do my best to fulfill my role and become the best in the world."

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to hold "Wonderful Festival 2026 Supported by Unicharm"

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham are holding the "Wonderful Festival 2026 Supported by Unicharm," an event where you can watch the game with your dog in a special area in the stands. The event will cover six games, the most ever, and will include merchandise sales, photo spots, and the distribution of samples by Unicharm Corporation.

・Target matches
March 21st (Saturday) vs. Tokyo Yakult
Sunday, March 22nd vs. Tokyo Yakult
April 23rd (Thursday) vs. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
May 20th (Wed) vs. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
July 2nd (Thursday) vs. Orix Buffaloes
August 28th (Friday) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Pre-Season Games 2026 Ticket Sales

The details of ticket sales for spectator tickets and parking tickets for the 11 games of the "PRE-SEASON GAMES 2026" (open games) to be held at Enagic Stadium Nago on February 22nd (Sun) and 23rd (Mon, holiday), and at ES CON FIELD Hokkaido from March 4th (Wed) to March 22nd (Sun) have been decided.

Advance sales for season ticket holders will begin on Tuesday, January 20th, with ticket release dates varying depending on your official fan club FAV rank. General sales will begin on Sunday, January 25th.

◇Ticket sales schedule for Tohoku Rakuten Eagles first-regular season announced

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles has announced the ticket sales schedule for the first-regular season to be held at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi in the 2026 season. Advance sales will begin on Sunday, February 8th for Rakuten Eagles official fan club "CLUB EAGLES" Premium Course Members and Annual Seat Owners, followed by each course in turn.

If you join any of the Premium, High Grade, or Standard courses at CLUB EAGLES, you can purchase tickets at a 500 yen discount per seat from the general sales price during the advance sale period. In addition, CLUB EAGLES will be holding an "ultra-advance sale" from Saturday, January 31st, where you can purchase tickets at an even better price ahead of the advance sale. This also applies to tickets for the "Tires are Fuji presents Tohoku Opening Round."

General sales will begin at 10:00 on Sunday, February 22nd. For further details, please visit the team's official website.

Chiba Lotte Marines 's Misho Nishikawa opens up about his training: "Aiming to play in every game and become the batting hitter"

Chiba Lotte Marines released footage of player Misho Nishikawa training in Ginoza Village, Okinawa Prefecture. The player's comments are as follows:

▼Comment from Misho Nishikawa ▼
"I feel like I'm hitting the ball more powerfully every day. I feel like my body is sharper and lighter. Although I was named Rookie of the Year, I'm not at all satisfied with the results of my first year, so I want to aim even higher in my second year. I want to work hard to grow even more.

Right now, I'm working to improve my performance even further while maintaining the foundation of my best performance from last year. Personally, I want to play in every game, aim to be the batting hitter, and hit double-digit Home Run. I train with Uebayashi-san (Chunichi) and Morishita-san (Hanshin Tigers), and I always have the opportunity to talk to them about various things, which is both inspiring and educational."

Fukuoka Softbank Corp. signs 2026 jersey sponsorship (right sleeve) contract with En Holdings

Fukuoka Softbank announced that it has signed jersey sponsorship (right sleeve) contract with En Holdings Co., Ltd. for the 2026 season. This marks the fourth season of jersey sponsorship contract with the company, which began in 2023.

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