<figure id="attachment_478128" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478128" style="width: 2397px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="53583dcd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/d9c52f3412c1dd41169e87a703c776ba.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-478128" class="wp-caption-text">Koshien (5 years starting in ’21) “Top 20 Most Captivating Games” Ranking</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Games That Captured Our Hearts</h2>
<p> In the top of the 10th inning of a tiebreaker, with the score tied at 3-3, Keio (Kanagawa) took a one-run lead with a groundout to second base with one out and the bases loaded. They then added two more runs on a hit, bringing an end to the thrilling game.This was <span class="strongInContent">the Keio vs. Koryo (Hiroshima) game (August 16, ’23)</span> that captivated so many high school baseball fans——.</p>
<p> Fierce battles continue at Koshien this summer. The ranking below is based not on TV ratings—which rise simply by turning on the TV—but on “viewer engagement,” which measures how captivated viewers were by the screen (see the end of the article for detailed “measurement methods”).</p>
<p> The data analytics firm “REVISIO” (hereinafter referred to as “R”) has been conducting its own measurements of the tournament for five years since ’21. What makes a game a truly memorable classic? Saori Yasutake, R’s PR and Marketing Manager, explains.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Matches that capture viewers’ attention share several characteristics. They include a series of unpredictable comebacks that make you involuntarily stare at the screen; the prospect of a dramatic conclusion as the game goes into extra innings; and the involvement of teams that are the talk of the town.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The opening match was a showdown between Keio, a prestigious school aiming for its first championship in 107 years, and Koryo, a powerhouse that had advanced to the semifinals of the Spring Senbatsu tournament that same year. Furthermore, while Keio held the advantage early on, Koryo managed to catch up in the late stages. With the match heading into extra-inning tiebreaker, it’s only natural that viewers couldn’t take their eyes off the TV screen.”</span></p>
<p> Let’s take a closer look at the rankings. In first place was the Keio vs. Koryo game mentioned at the beginning <span class="strongInContent">. Second</span> place <span class="strongInContent">also went to a Keio game:</span> the championship match against <span class="strongInContent">Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi) held on August 23, 2023</span>.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “With the team’s first championship in 107 years on the line, the game had already drawn significant attention even before it began, with Keio alumni posting numerous comments on social media and elsewhere.The game itself got off to a surprising start when Keio’s leadoff hitter, Minato Maruta—who had become a hot topic known as the ‘Fair-Skinned Prince’—hit a leadoff home run. The early going was a back-and-forth battle; it was a game that even non-Keio alumni couldn’t take their eyes off of,” said Mr. Yasutake.</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_478129" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478129" style="width: 2488px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1f9599a1"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/05d560b1a9a54e18fb77516eaa49ea1b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-478129" class="wp-caption-text"> 1st Place: Keio vs. Koryo – August 16, ’23. The game in which Keio defeated Koryo. Keio continued its winning streak under the slogan “Enjoy Baseball.”</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_478130" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478130" style="width: 1653px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="78448fd3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/0aed1ecc75469c224a9159638762097d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-478130" class="wp-caption-text"> 2nd Place: Keio vs. Sendai Ikuei—August 23, ’23. The Keio team erupts in joy after defeating Sendai Ikuei in the final to clinch their first championship in 107 years</figcaption></figure>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" A breathless back-and-forth battle"></div>
<h2>The school song is in Korean</h2>
<p> The match between <span class="strongInContent">third-place Chiben Wakayama and Kokugakuin Tochigi (August 13, 2022)</span> also saw the momentum swing back and forth.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Kokugakuin Tochigi took on Chiben Wakayama, the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the title.The game followed a pattern where Kokugakuin Tochigi took the lead, Chiben Wakayama tied it up, and then Kokugakuin Tochigi regained the lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing by one run, Kokugakuin Tochigi scored four consecutive hits to retake the lead. They weathered Chiben Wakayama’s fierce late-game rally to secure a hard-fought victory.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Coming in at No. 4 was the game between Kyoto International and Ichinoseki Gakuin (Iwate) on August 6, 2022. While the dramatic ending—in which Ichinoseki Gakuin scored a walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th inning to advance past the first round of the Summer Koshien for the first time in 20 years—was certainly a highlight, there may have been other factors contributing to the high level of attention the game received.“The Korean lyrics in Kyoto International’s school song had become a talking point. You see, Kyoto International’s predecessor was Kyoto Korean Academy,” (ibid.)</span></p>
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<p> There are also some unexpectedly popular games. The fifth-ranked match was between <span class="strongInContent">Kanagawa powerhouse Yokohama and Gifu Prefectural Commercial High School (August 19, ’25)</span>. Koki Mitsuhashi, a marketing team manager at Company R, explains:</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “It’s rare for a public school like Gifu Commercial High to draw this much attention, but the school sparked a ‘public school sensation,’ defying the odds to defeat Yokohama and advance to the Final Four. Atsuhiro Yokoyama, a player from that school who has lived with a congenital left-hand disability, also drew attention by getting a hit in four out of five games.”</span></p>
<p> On the other hand, there are some games featuring high-profile teams that aren’t drawing as much attention. Mr. Mitsuhashi continues:</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “These are games where a large lead builds up early on. The match between 14th-ranked Urawa Gakuin (Saitama) and Sendai Ikuei (August 6, 2023) was a clash between two powerhouses, but Sendai Ikuei scored nine runs by the third inning. The game was decided early on, and viewer interest waned.”</span></p>
<p> Comeback victories, walk-off wins… Every summer, fans are moved by the drama woven by these young baseball players.</p>
<figure id="attachment_478134" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478134" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="65f454b7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/08/d658c5e62290b0ee11f28859a8cb5186.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-478134" class="wp-caption-text"> 3rd Place: Chiben Wakayama vs. Kokugakuin Tochigi—August 13, ’22. A back-and-forth game between title contenders Chiben Wakayama and Kokugakuin Tochigi. Kokugakuin Tochigi emerged victorious.</figcaption></figure>
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<p> From the September 4, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*</p>
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 Kyodo News

 Fierce competition continues at Koshien this summer! For each game over the five-year period starting in 2021… rather than relying on TV ratings—which rise simply by turning on the TV—we investigated just how captivated viewers were by the screen. What “unexpectedly popular games” emerged from the rankings?

[Summer Koshien] What Are the “Surprisingly Popular Games”? The Top 20 “Memorable Games” That Had Viewers on the Edge of Their Seats

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