The 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star break has arrived, with this year’s games set to take place at Tokyo Dome and Toyama Municipal Baseball Stadium. Both games will air on ABEMA beginning at 6:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the Home Run Derby held before first pitch and split across the two days.
Entering the break, the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants are tied atop the Central League standings. The Giants pulled level with the defending pennant winners by taking two of three from their rivals at Koshien in a tightly contested series over the weekend.
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have steadily lost ground over the past few months but continue to cling to third place, while the Yokohama DeNA BayStars showed signs of improvement in July and could close the gap down the stretch.
In the Pacific League, the reigning Japan Series-winning Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have emerged as the dominant force since June, building a 5.5-game lead over the interleague champion Saitama Seibu Lions.
The Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters have rebounded from a 16-20 start to move into a strong position in third place, sitting just half a game behind Seibu. Meanwhile, the Orix Buffaloes and Chiba Lotte Marines have begun to fall out of contention, though both still have an outside chance of making a late push for the postseason.
Meanwhile, three-time Japan Series champion and 2005 World Series winner Tadahito Iguchi has been named the new manager of Samurai Japan. He is expected to be at the helm for the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, 2027 Premier12, 2028 Summer Olympics, and 2029/2030 World Baseball Classic.
Now, let’s look at some of the most notable performances from this past week.
Tuesday (7/21)
- Nozomu Takatera (Tigers) walked off the BayStars in extras.
- Toshiki Abe (Dragons) homered twice in an 11-4 win over the Swallows.
- Anderson Espinoza (Buffaloes) tossed 7 innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory against the Hawks.
Wednesday (7/22)
- Tyler Nevin (Lions) hit a walk-off home run in a 4-3 win over the Fighters.
- Shintaro Fujinami (BayStars) made his first appearance at Koshien Stadium in 1,403 days in a no decision against the Tigers, his former team.
- Souma Uchiyama (Swallows) went 3 for 4 with a double and home run in an 8-5 win against the Dragons, helping snap a 7 game losing streak.
- The Hawks recorded 26 hits and 5 homers in a 22-2 thrashing of the Buffaloes.
Thursday (7/23)
- Chusei Mannami (Fighters) hit his 100th career home run in an 11-2 blowout of the Lions.
- Yuki Yanagita (Hawks) walked off the Buffaloes.
Friday (7/24)
- Ryoya Kurihara (Hawks) became the first NPB hitter to reach 30 home runs this season in a 7-3 win over the Lions.
- Bobby Dalbec (Giants) broke up Hiroto Saiki’s complete game shutout with a go-ahead 2-out, 2-run homer in the 9th inning. Yuto Kohama hit a game-winning 2-run shot in the 10th for his first career home run.
- Souma Uchiyama (Swallows) hit a walk-off home run versus the Carp in extras.
- Ryo Ohta (Buffaloes) walked off the Marines.
- Koki Yamaguchi (Marines) tied a career-high with his 16th homer.
- Tyler Nevin (Lions) homered for the third straight game.
Saturday (7/25)
- Osvaldo Bido (BayStars) tossed 5 shutout innings to win his NPB debut against the Dragons.
- Taiki Narama (Fighters) walked off the Eagles.
- The Lions came from behind with a six-run 6th inning to beat the Hawks, 8-6.
- The Swallows walked off the Carp in extras for the second straight night.
Sunday (7/26)
- Shoki Murakami (Tigers) threw a complete game shutout in a 1-0 win to avoid a sweep against the Giants. Teruaki Sato hit the game-winning home run.
- Naoki Arizono (Fighters) smashed his first career home run in a 6-2 victory against the Eagles.
- Yugo Maeda (Hawks) improved to 8-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.41 with 6 scoreless frames in a 3-0 win over the Lions.
