◇ Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. The Giants "Nippon Life Interleague 2026" First Round (29th, Econ Field)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham 's Taiki Kikuchi pitcher delivered a strong relief performance by retiring all three batters in order.

In the top of the 7th inning with a 2-4 record, he went to mound as the third pitcher. He retired Naoki Yoshikawa and Yoshihiro Maru on infield grounders, then threw a 150 km/h fastball to Darbek, earning a struck out swing and miss.

pitcher Kikuchi joined The Giants in 2021 as the 6th pick in the developmental draft. Last season, he pitched 10 innings in 7 games, posting a ERA of 1.80, and was drafted to Hokkaido Nippon-Ham in the offseason. His first appearance after the transfer (Fukuoka Softbank on the 22nd) was 1.1 innings and 1 runs, but in this ES CON FIELD debut, he showed strong pitching against his former team.

Text by Riane Ueno