Saitama Seibu Lions attendance reaches a record high of 1,843,507 people

At the Saitama Seibu Lions, the attendance for home games during the 2026 regular season reached 1,843,507, setting a new record. This surpassed the attendance of the 2019 season, when the team achieved consecutive league titles, by approximately 20,000 people. Furthermore, the number of fan club members also increased by more than 10,000, reaching a record high of approximately 135,000.

This season, 39 out of the 72 home games—more than half—were sold out. In addition to the team's breakthrough, special projects such as Takumi Kuriyama's "PR1DE SERIES" and the summer series project "Ao-Fes 2026" were well-received, leading to an increase in attendance of approximately 110,000 compared to last year.

Samurai Japan Top Team Coaching Staff Decided

Ahead of the "Luxas Asia Professional baseball Championship 2026" to be held at Tokyo Dome starting Thursday, November 12, the coaching staff for the Samurai Japan top team has been decided. The player announcement is scheduled for early October.

▼Manager and Coaches▼
Position: Name / number / Team Affiliation
Manager: Tadahito Iguchi / 66
Head Coach and Hitting Coach: So Taguchi / 99
pitcher Coach: Akinori Otsuka / 40 / Chunichi
pitcher Coach: Shinji Kurano / 94 / Fukuoka Softbank
Battery Coach: Yoshinori Murata / 72 / The Giants
infield defense base running Coach: Yuichi Honda / 80 / Fukuoka Softbank
outfield defense base running Coach: Yusuke Kawada / 74 / Yokohama DeNA

▼Shinji Kurano Coach Comment▼
"I feel greatly honored to be given such a major role, while also feeling the pressure of having to win and the great responsibility of being entrusted with promising players. While paying close attention to the players' conditioning, I want to walk alongside them so that each player can demonstrate the power they possess.

I have the experience of wearing the Hinomaru jersey and fighting alongside Manager Iguchi to aim for the Olympics during the Atlanta Olympic qualifiers. We also played together at Daiei after that, and I feel a mysterious connection in being able to fight as part of the Japan national team with Manager Iguchi after more than 30 years."

▼Yuichi Honda Coach Comment▼
"I am honored to be selected. I am happy to be able to fight for the top alongside Manager Iguchi. I will do my best to use my experience to become a strength for the team."

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham signs friendship agreements with Ebetsu City and Tomakomai City, Hokkaido

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Co., Ltd. and The Fighters Sports & Entertainment Co., Ltd. today signed friendship agreements with Ebetsu City and Tomakomai City in Hokkaido, respectively.

This agreement was concluded with the aim of continuing to cooperate on various measures for sports promotion and regional revitalization for Ebetsu City and Tomakomai City, with whom discussions regarding the relocation of farm facilities have been held for approximately two years, as well as for the promotion committees and neighboring municipalities that have promoted invitation activities. The effective period is three years until September 30, 2029, aiming to contribute continuously to the development of the surrounding areas centered on both cities.

Furthermore, to commemorate the signing of the agreement, it has been decided that the "Friendship Agreement Signing Commemoration The Fighters baseball Clinic" will be held at ES CON FIELD on November 7 (Sat) and 8 (Sun) for youth baseball teams from Ebetsu City, Tomakomai City, and 19 surrounding municipalities. This first event will be hosted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Players' Association.

▼Summary of Friendship Agreement▼
・A baseball clinic for boys and girls will be held once a year. Opportunities for advice on technical guidance will be provided to instructors involved in youth baseball.
・Food-related support will be provided, such as presenting food items to local youth, children's cafeterias, and other similar facilities or organizations.
・Events, information dissemination, and exchange projects utilizing regional characteristics, industries, food culture, natural environments, and other regional resources will be implemented.

Orix Buffaloes: Seymour returns home

Orix Buffaloes announced that Seymour returned to his home country on the 28th. In his first year in Japan this season, Seymour appeared in 42 games for the first team, recording a .158 batting average, 3 Home Runs, and 15 RBI. In the farm league, he played 51 games with a .184 batting average, 3 Home Runs, and 14 RBI.

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