◇Saitama Seibu Lions vs. Hiroshima "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" Game 1 (9th, Belluna Dome)

Saitama Seibu Lions Manaya Nishikawa had a great performance with one hit and one RBI, supported by his alma mater.

On this day, a special cheering event was being held by the brass band of his alma mater, Hanasaki Tokuei High School. In the bottom of the second inning, trailing by one run, he came up to bat with a chance to score, and the song "Sasuke," which is used for Hanasaki Tokuei's hitter, was playing. He connected with the first pitch and hit hit to left field, but runner on second base was tagged out at home plate, so no runs were scored.

His second at-bat came in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases bases loaded and one out, he hit the first pitch to center fielder sacrifice fly. He delivered a one-hit one-RBI performance in front of his alma mater's underclassmen.

◇Nishikawa's comment (4th inning, sacrifice fly)
"I shot a basket. I was able to do it thanks to the support I received. I will continue to do my best."

Written by Kai Nagi Niwa