<figure id="attachment_464898" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2237px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-464898"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c27f5295"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/7189b3f43b95cbf6f60789faf8822d9e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-464898" class="wp-caption-text">The fierce battle of the Pacific League’s two powerhouses: SoftBank Hawks vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. At the “PERSOL Pacific League 2026 Opening Eve Press Conference,” SoftBank manager Hiroki Kokubo and Nippon-Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo strike poses at Mizuho PayPay Dome (Photo: Kimio Shibui).</figcaption></figure>
Spring baseball has arrived! With each team having already played around 15 games, early signs of separation in fortunes are already beginning to appear (figures in this article are as of April 13).
【Part 1 here】<a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/464886">Opening Day Special Pro Baseball Wide: “Clear Winners and Losers—Inside the Dugout Report” (Central League)</a>
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<h2>The Bomb Hiding in the Reigning King’s Closer</h2>
In the Pacific League, SoftBank swept Nippon-Ham in the opening series and got off to a strong start with five straight wins.
“There were also some concerning moments. On April 2 against Rakuten, in the 9th inning while trailing, second-year player Yudai Shoji (23), who came in as a pinch runner, made a baserunning mistake that cost them a chance to tie the game. Manager Hiroki Kokubo (54) called it a painful mistake. Even in the final preseason game, promising young player Yoshiyasu Sasagawa (23), who had shown strong batting and was set for Opening Day roster selection, was abruptly demoted after a defensive error. Kokubo tends to be lenient with established veterans but strict with younger players. There are concerns this may lead to younger players shrinking under pressure and stunting their development,” said a SoftBank reporter for a sports newspaper.
“The average age of SoftBank’s Opening Day starting lineup is 31.7 years old, compared to 25.8 for Nippon-Ham. As long as veterans like Hotaka Yamakawa (34) and Yuki Yanagita (37) remain in form, things look fine, but over a long season, there are concerns they may eventually run out of steam.”
Cracks are also appearing in the pitching staff. One member of their proud relief unit, the “Tree Trio,” Kouya Fujii (29), underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season. Yuki Matsumoto (30) has been inconsistent with an ERA in the 4.00 range, while closer Kazuki Sugiyama (28) has been even worse at 9.00. Frustrated with his poor performance, Sugiyama punched the bench and broke his left hand, leading to a demotion to the minors. The reporter continues:
“It is said that when Sugiyama withdrew from the WBC, he submitted a medical certificate citing an elbow injury. Since no pitcher is ever completely healthy, many assumed it was just an excuse. But judging from his pitching this season, he may truly be carrying a serious issue. If so, attention turns to Osuna (31), the former MLB saves leader on a massive four-year, ¥4 billion contract. However, his preseason ERA was also in the 4.00s. Even in Triple-A tuning, he reportedly failed to strike out independent league hitters and needed 13 pitches to finish an at-bat—hardly reassuring for a closer. Meanwhile, ace starter Kohei Arihara (33), the team’s wins leader, has departed, and left-handed ace Yuki Matsui (30), who arrived late to Japan, is still in preparation. There are weak points in both pitching and hitting, making a third straight championship far from easy.”
Arihara’s surprising return to Nippon-Ham is said to have been under consideration since mid-last season, according to sports writer Yamato Fujimoto.
“He seems to have been dissatisfied with SoftBank’s evaluation of him. Regarding his return to Japan, there are rumors he avoided his former team because he doesn’t like Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s personality, but Shinjo was expected to leave after last season anyway. That may have helped make the return possible. Still, Shinjo ended up staying on in a surprise continuation.”
With Arihara joining, Nippon-Ham now has such a deep starting rotation that Sachiya Yamasaki (33) can be moved to the bullpen. Breakout potential is seen in Haruki Hosono (24), who threw a no-hitter, and Kota Tatsu (22), raising hopes for a long-awaited championship.
“However, Shinjo is expected to leave regardless of results. The team is reportedly considering keeping him in some kind of flexible front-office role, but given his personality, he is unlikely to stay,” said the same source.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The absence of an ace"></div>
<h2>Many issues remain</h2>
For Orix, who are chasing the two powerhouse teams, a key challenge is how to cope with the long-term absence of ace Hiroya Miyagi (24).
“Although Miyagi was originally set to be the Opening Day starter, manager Mamoru Kishida (44) actually intended to send out 160 km/h right-hander Shunpeita Yamashita (23). That shows how high the expectations were, but he had to pull out due to elbow pain. He also has a history of lower back issues and has never had a full breakout season without injuries. If he stays healthy, he has ace potential,” said a freelance reporter.
The player expected to act as a savior is Taisuke Yamaoka (30), currently undergoing adjustments in the farm team.
“Because of the online casino issue, he was one of the first names to come up and was forced into self-restraint from team activities. Later disciplinary differences among players became apparent, and he likely felt, ‘Why only me?’ This season he will once again compete as a starter, and this decision also reflects manager Kishida’s desire to give Yamaoka a fresh start in the role he originally wanted, as a kind of encouragement,” said a sports newspaper desk editor.
Seibu, having lost their absolute ace Tatsuya Imai (27), aggressively strengthened their roster using roughly 1.5 billion yen in transfer fees. They acquired Kuwahara from DeNA and Kazunari Ishii (31) from Nippon-Ham in a double signing.
“Kuwahara’s addition is significant, but because of overlapping positions, they were forced to convert their main slugger Seiya Watanabe (23) from the outfield to third base. Watanabe’s defense at third is stiff in both movement and handling. His batting remains strong, but he has already committed three errors,” said a Seibu reporter for a sports newspaper.
On the other hand, Ishii had a special ability of performing well at Belluna Dome. While he hit .259 overall last season, his batting average at Seibu’s home stadium rose to .387. According to the reporter, “What stands out is his bat speed. During spring camp measurements, Ishii recorded the fastest on the team, which Seibu also valued highly.”
“However, in preseason he hit just .081, and even after the season began he dropped to .091, resulting in an early demotion. The team has many strong second basemen, including Shuta Tonosaki (33), who was hitting .417 in preseason, and voices within the organization have begun asking, ‘Do we even need Ishii?’”
But the season has only just begun. There is still plenty of time for a comeback and reversal of fortunes.
<figure id="attachment_464901" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2391px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-464901"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cb2a4bd6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/a9dda0b1b3b7df71f6ac7898dd790c19.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-464901" class="wp-caption-text">Osuna, who is expected to return as closer, appeared in 26 games last season with a 4.15 ERA. He was demoted to the minors in June and lost his closer role.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_464902" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2458px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-464902"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="506245d3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/5d9108a667c269d4ba92614ae5392aac.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-464902" class="wp-caption-text">To address their lack of scoring power, Seibu acquired Ishii from Nippon-Ham. He is known for his power and has even batted cleanup during his time with Nippon-Ham.</figcaption></figure>
From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221;

 SoftBank is worried about running out of steam, and winning a third straight championship will not be easy. Nippon-Ham has a full starting rotation and is on track to win their long-awaited championship. The Orix are facing the problem of their ace being out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Seibu, whose absolute ace has left the team, is aggressively reinforcing its lineup with transfer money.

Will It Be Farewell Shinjo Even After a Championship? Inside Nippon-Ham’s Contrasting Dugout Reality

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