On September 18th, G.G. Sato, T-Okada, and guest Toshiaki Imae appeared on the Persol Pacific League TV official YouTube channel's "Monday Pa-Tele Iki Supported by DMM Kuji." They discussed the expectations and challenges for Rakuten Eagles Kosei Shoji pitcher.

On September 16th, in a game against Chiba Lotte Marines, pitcher Shoji achieved his first professional complete game and shutout game win with 125 pitches, 6 hit, no walks or Hit by Pitch, and 7 strike out with no runs. When G.G. Sato suggested, "If Shoji had been in full rotation when Imae-san was manager...", Imae-san, whose team finished 4th in 2024 when he was manager, drew laughter by saying, "I think we definitely would have made it to the A-class!" while nodding and adding, "He has that much talent."

Continuing, Imae-san highly evaluated him, saying, "Shoji's fastball, cutter, and fork—the precision of each pitch is incredibly good." On the other hand, he pointed out, "In terms of leading the team to a win as a starter, I think he still needs more experience. He's a player who can do even more," and spoke about future challenges as follows.

"Because each pitch is good, opposing batters can't finish him off, and since they can't hit the ball forward, his pitch count goes up. In the end, he wants to get a struck out, right? If he can learn to use pitches that induce contact to get outs and manage the game better, I think he'll be able to win more."

Furthermore, citing pitchers like Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka as examples, he said, "In key moments, they go for the struck out if they want to, and at other times, they relax. He needs to be able to construct his game like that," suggesting that mastering gear changes in his pitch might be the key to further leveling up.

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"Monday Pa-Tele Iki" started with the desire to create a time for professional baseball, Pacific League fans to enjoy even on Mondays when few games are held. This week's episode was brought to you with the sponsorship of "DMM Kuji," a no-lose store lottery brand available at retail stores nationwide. Additionally, starting Friday, September 18th, the "2026 Pacific League 6 Teams baseball DMM Kuji" is on sale at participating stores nationwide. Details are available here.

LIVE Streaming Program "Monday Pa-Tele Iki"
・Broadcast Date: Every Monday from 21:00 (Scheduled to air through October during the season)
・Platform: Persol Pacific League TV Official YouTube Channel
・Cast: A rotating pair of professional baseball alumni
(Ryota Igarashi & Sho Nakata / Ginji & Yuji Kaneko / G.G. Sato & T-Okada / Motonobu Tanishige & Tomoya Satozaki)

Next time on the 28th (Mon), Motonobu Tanishige and Tomoya Satozaki are scheduled to appear. Don't miss it!