◇ Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters: Olympic medalist from Hokkaido to throw first baseman pitch

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will be holding "WE LOVE HOKKAIDO & FIGHTERS 2026 supported by Marunaka Sogo Shoji" from Tuesday, June 30th. This year, under the theme of "Fans who love Hokkaido and The Fighters becoming one," they will be holding various events. As part of this, Hokkaido natives Ren Nikaido, Ryusei Yamada, and Ayano Sato, who won medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, will be throwing out first baseman pitch.

▼Comment from Ren Nikaido on June 30th (Tuesday)▼
"I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be throwing first baseman pitch at ES CON FIELD Hokkaido on Tuesday, June 30th! I'm so happy to be able to throw first baseman pitch at a The Fighters game, a team I love!! It'll be a short time, but I hope to be the one to get the crowd going for the game! My goal is to throw it 150km!!"

▼Comment from Ryusei Yamada on July 10th (Friday)▼
"I am deeply honored to be able to throw first baseman pitch on this special day, 'WE LOVE HOKKAIDO & FIGHTERS 2026.' With gratitude to Hokkaido, where I was born and raised, I will do my best to make this special day exciting together with everyone in the arena. This is my first time throwing first baseman pitch, but I will put all my feelings into every throw."

▼Comments from Ayano Sato, July 11th (Saturday)▼
"I am honored to be able to throw first baseman pitch for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on Saturday, July 11th. It is a great honor to be able to throw the first baseman pitch for such an important game with the theme of 'Hokkaido and The Fighters fans becoming one.' I am also incredibly happy to be able to stand on mound at ES CON FIELD Hokkaido, a place I have always wanted to visit. I will put all my heart and soul into every pitch, and I will do my best to create an exciting atmosphere together with everyone in the stadium!! I am looking forward to seeing you all."

◇ Fukuoka Softbank' Yuta Yamamoto undergoes surgery on his left hand

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks player Yuta Yamamoto underwent surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand at a hospital in Saga City on the 12th. He is expected to be out of action for two to three months.

On May 12, Yu Yamamoto was traded from Yokohama DeNA in exchange for pitcher Shuto Ogata and infielder Tomoya Inoue. After joining the team, he had a good batting performance, with a .349 batting average, 2 Home Run RBI, and 9 RBIs in 14 games, but he suffered a stress fracture of the hamate bone in his left hand and was removed from the roster on June 6.

◇ Fukuoka Softbank Kenta Tanigawara receives the "SKY PerfecTV! walk-off Award" for the first time.

Fukuoka Softbank Kenta Tanigawara has been awarded the "SKY PerfecTV! walk-off Award" for May. This is his first time receiving the award.

The game in question was the one against Chiba Lotte Marines on May 8th. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the score 3-5, Fukuoka Softbank tied the game with a solo home run by Ryoya Kurihara (his 9th of the season) and an RBI doble by Taisei Makihara. With two outs and a runner on second base, Tanigawara hit his first career walk-off hit, leading the team to their first walk-off win of the season.