Persol CS: A batting battle in the Pacific League? 3 highlights from Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. Orix at ES CON FIELD
Pacific League Insight
2025.10.9(木) 11:00
On October 11th, the 2025 Persol Climax Series Pacific first baseman Stage between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Orix will kick off at ES CON FIELD.
The record for the regular season was 12 wins, 12 losses, and 1 draw. Of those, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham won 7 games and Orix won 6 games at ES CON FIELD.
From here, we will look back at three games played at ES CON FIELD this season.
5/13 10th round F 7-0 B Hokkaido Nippon-Ham defeats Alen Kuri for the first time
I had a hard time with Orix Alen Kuri pitcher from the opening Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Since the first match of the season on April 5th, he has scored 2 goals in 25 inning and allowed 3 consecutive wins.
It was the fourth match on May 13th. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham took the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Kazunari Ishii reached base with a doble, the team’s first hit, and Ryota Isobata scored one run from Kuri pitcher with a timely hit. After that, he fell scoreless until the 6th inning, but on the other hand, starter Hiromi Ito pitcher continued to be runs pitch scoreless, and it seemed that it would be a pitcher game as it was.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, with one out, Kotaro Kiyomiya, Chusei Mannami, and Ishii hit three consecutive hits to give them a chance to score an additional run. Torai Fushimi, who stood at the plate in the bases loaded situation, hit the first pitch center fielder before and scored the long-awaited second run. With one out bases loaded, Igarata squeeze the second pitch. When pitcher Kuri, who handles the batted ball, throw to first base, pinch runner Tatsuki Mizuno runner second base also survived.
He did not miss the opportunity and scored, and even succeeded in “2 runs squeeze”. With a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham-like folding attack, he attacked the difficult enemy Kuri pitcher.
5/14 11th round F 5-9 B Taishi Hirooka ‘s first Grand Slam
Orix ‘s Taishi Hirooka played in a career-high 118 games this season. The hit that symbolized his breakthrough came in the game on May 14th.
In the top of the eighth inning, Orix was down by two Walk, with three walks to load Walk with one bases loaded. Then, a walk by Tomoya Mori brought them within one run, with the bases still loaded and two bases loaded. Hirooka swung at a 159km/h fastball and let out a confident roar. He smashed his first career grand slam run into the upper left-field stands, securing win.
8/19 19th game F 6x-5 B Yuki Nomura hits a dramatic walk-off run with two outs in the 9th inning
On August 19th, the game took many twists and turns, leading to a surprising conclusion.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Kota Tatsu pitcher had completely shut down Orix until the fourth inning. However, in the top of the fifth inning, trailing by three points, Keita Nakagawa The player hit a solo home run, the first hit for the team, off pitcher. This seemed to be the signal for a counterattack. Yuma Tongu The player hit, Kenya Wakatsuki The player Walk, Kotaro Kobayashi The players also connected with hit, and there was one out and the bases were bases loaded. Yuma Mune It was a hit from a player. He hit grand slam run into the right field stands, turning the game around in an instant.
It became a chasing Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. In the bottom of the ninth inning with one out with two runs behind, Kiyomiya and Ishii reached base with consecutive hits from the guardian deity Machado pitcher, but Reyes swung struck out the next one. They were cornered until two outs, but Yuya Gunji had a bases loaded chance at the last minute due to a infield hit by the player. Following Yuki Nomura The player launched high in the direction of the right, and the batted ball exceeded the opponent’s advance defense and broke the right center. A timely doble that swept the runner on the edge of the ring jumped out and scored a dramatic walk-off win.
Expect a battle for points at the Persol CS Pa
Looking at team batting performances, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham leads the league with 129 Home Run and ranks second with 548 runs, while Orix leads the league with 1,252 hit and ranks second with a batting average of .255, so both teams boast impressive batting power. During the regular season, they had attacks that shook up the opponent, such as two squeeze plays, as well as spectacular aerial battles. We can look forward to seeing both teams’ unique wall emerge in the Persol CS Pacific League.
Text by Ayako Kikuchi
AloJapan.com