◇Fukuoka Softbank vs Orix Buffaloes Game 25 (27th, MIZUHO PayPay Dome)

Fukuoka Softbank's Akira Nakamura, who had announced his retirement from active play at the end of this season, played his final game.

Akira Nakamura, who has experience appearing in every batting order, was in the starting line-up as the "No. 6 first baseman." He entered the game flanked by homegrown players who shared his joys and sorrows, No. 5 Yuki Yanagita and No. 7 Kenta Imamiya. The team succeeded in taking an early lead in the first inning with Kensuke Kondo 's 30th Home Run, a 2-run shot.

With two outs, Yanagita reached base with a hit. Akira Nakamura stepped up for his first at-bat to his familiar walk-up song "Shape of You" and expanded the opportunity by hitting a doble to right-center. This led to Yudai Yamamoto 's timely infield hit.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, during his fifth at-bat, a matchup with his draft classmate, pitcher Sho Iwasaki, took place. The battle ended on the third pitch, a 150km/h fastball that resulted in a catcher's pop fly. Although the victory went to pitcher Iwasaki, Nakamura showed his pride as the "Lefty Sniper" until the very end by aiming for the fastball and swinging through.

Akira Nakamura joined Fukuoka Softbank as the 3rd pick in the 2007 high school draft from Teikyo High School. In 2013, his 6th professional year, he reached the regulation number of plate appearances for the first time and achieved a strong batting average of .307. The following year, he accumulated a career-high 176 hit and won his first title for the most hit. In Game 4 of the Japan Series that same year, he recorded a walk-off home run. He demonstrated his clutch hitting in various situations, winning the Japan Series Outstanding Player Award in both 2018 and 2020.

From 2020, he became the first in club history to win the Golden Glove Award as a first baseman for four consecutive years. He supported the perennial winning team with his skillful bat control and exceptionally stable defense.

◇Akira Nakamura Career Stats
1662 Games 6451 Plate Appearances 1522 hit 214 doble 69 Home Run 556 RBI Batting Average .274

◇Akira Nakamura's Records
First Appearance: May 3, 2011 vs Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
First hit: May 10, 2011 vs Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
First Home Run: June 23, 2013 vs Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
1000th hit: September 17, 2020 vs Hokkaido Nippon-Ham
200th doble: July 9, 2024 vs Orix Buffaloes
1500th Game Appearance: September 15, 2024 vs Orix Buffaloes
1500th hit: August 26, 2025 vs Tohoku Rakuten Eagles

Text by Aoi Yokoyama