The “2025 Decisive Moments in Sports” – The famous games and heart-warming scenes that changed the course of history!
Year-end and New Year's Special Programs
The BEST 12 “Decisive Moments” ① Shohei Ohtani (31)
Shohei Ohtani (31)
October 17: Three homers and 10 strikeouts in one game in the league championship series
The ultimate “self-support” that propelled the team to the top of the world.
Shohei Ohtani (31), who started Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers, struck out 10 and allowed no runs in 6 innings, while hitting 3 home runs, including a home run off the leadoff batter.
After the game, our hero, who showed the world the best performance in post-season history, showed no signs of lingering emotion and tightened his helmet, saying, “I want to do my best to win the next four games.
I was most surprised by the second home run. Chad Patrick (27) threw a cut ball to the inside corner that, from my perspective as a pitcher, had an ideal trajectory. It was a first-class pitch that would normally have only two options: to be called a foul or to be thrown out on an infield ground ball.
However, Ohtani sent it flying about 143 meters. No wonder his colleague Freddie Freeman (36) was scratching his head on the bench. Even a top-notch hitter like Freddie Freeman (36) would not have been able to bat like that. And such superhuman batting brought good rhythm to Ohtani, the pitcher. It is truly the ultimate “self-support,” according to baseball commentator Keiichi Yabu.
Even with all this success, Ohtani must already be training hard with his sights set on winning his third consecutive World Series title.
Ichiro (52)
Inducted into the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame on January 21.
In July, he and his wife Yumiko will go to a parade to celebrate.
Ichiro, 52, became the first Asian to be inducted into the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2013, becoming the 10th consecutive 200-hit hitter and the most in history with 4,367 hits in Japan and the U.S. Tomoya Satozaki, who played in the WBC with Ichiro, said that his induction was a “natural result.
There is no doubt that he is a pioneer in Major League Baseball as a fielder. I think he is the best player who created hope that a Japanese player could play in the Majors and gave younger players a goal to aim for.
Ichiro Suzuki is now the pride of the world.
Okinawa Shogaku High School
August 23 – Okinawa’s First Koshien Championship in 15 Years
Okinawa Shogaku’s sophomore duo led their team to the top of Japan. The team’s second-year duo led the Okinawa Shogaku team to its first Koshien championship in 15 years.
Ryojo Sueyoshi on the left and Yugen Aragaki on the right are both top-notch pitchers. Their presence creates a good sense of tension in the team. In particular, Sueyoshi’s 150 km/h straight line and sharply curved slider exceed those of his junior year self.
The two aces are aiming for back-to-back championships.
Hanshin Tigers
September 7: Fastest league championship in history
Fujikawa’s mentor reveals “the key to winning back-to-back championships and regaining the top spot in Japan
It was a game that summed up the season. With the magic number one run in the game against Hiroshima, Hanshin’s top relievers, including starter Hiroto Saiki (27), held the team’s two runs scored by sacrifice flies, and manager Kyuji Fujikawa (45) flew up in the air five times.
Osami Ueda, a former teacher of the Johoku Junior High School baseball team and manager of the Kochi Sho baseball team, looked on.
When I said ‘Congratulations’ to the players at the fall camp, he said, ‘What? He had already changed his mind. They had already switched. In camp, they spent a lot of time practicing bunting. During the season, there were many times when I wished I could have sent them off. Like Takumu Nakano (29), players who are good at bunting are also good hitters, and their batting average is good after they decide to bunt. The ballplayers knew this. The young Junya Nishi (24) is also good at bunting. I think he will come out.
We will have a head coach for the second year, but I can’t tell you the details, but there were reasons that made sense there, too.”
The team is in good shape to achieve their long-cherished goal of back-to-back championships and Japan’s No. 1 ranking.
From the January 2, 9, and 16, 2026 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： AFLO (Otani, Ichiro, Okinawa Shogaku) Jiji Press (Hanshin)