But before we get into the highlights, let’s touch on the NPB Draft, which was held on Thursday. Hanshin won the lottery for top collegiate hitter Masahiro Tateishi of Soka University, adding yet another potential star to an already loaded roster for 2026. Meanwhile, the Chiba Lotte Marines landed Genki Ishigaki, the top prep pitching prospect, after prevailing in the lottery.
Other notable first-round picks included catcher Taiga Kojima (Meiji University) to the Seibu Lions, right-hander Masaki Nakanishi (Aoyama Gakuin University) to the Chunichi Dragons, and infielder Ayuto Matsushita (Hosei University) to the Yakult Swallows.
But the biggest shock of the night came when both the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and SoftBank Hawks nominated Rintaro Sasaki, the Stanford University slugger who famously bypassed the NPB Draft out of high school in 2023 to go to the United States. SoftBank won the lottery for his negotiation rights. His selection raises complex questions about draft eligibility, signing bonuses, and contract provisions that will continue to be discussed throughout the offseason.
In short, Sasaki will play the upcoming NCAA season and evaluate his standing in the 2026 MLB Draft before ultimately choosing to start his professional career with SoftBank or an MLB organization. The Hanamaki native has until the end of July to make his decision.
Game 1: Hanshin 2 – 1 SoftBank
Game 2: SoftBank 10 – 1 Hanshin
The Pacific League champions blew the game open in the second as timely hits from Ukyo Shuto, Tatsuru Yanagimachi, and Kondoh made it 6-1 to knock Duplantier out of the game. Later in the frame, Yamakawa crushed a three-run homer off Yuta Iwasada, effectively putting the game away. SoftBank added another run on a wild pitch in the fifth and held on to win decisively, 10-1.
Many had expected ace Livan Moinelo to take the mound for SoftBank, but given his recent workload in the Pacific League Climax Series, skipper Hiroki Kokubo pushed him back to Game 3 and turned to Uwasawa instead. The right-hander rewarded the move with six strong innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts over 100 pitches.
