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59m ago

Day 2 Delivers JR East Walk-Off and Nippon Steel Setouchi’s First Win in 14 Years

Managerial choices around pitching, including reinforcements, defined tense first-round openers at Tokyo Dome.

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Overview

  • JR East edged Toshiba 9–8 on a walk-off, with manager Takeaki Hamaoka crediting an end-run call and late bullpen trust after a back-and-forth game.
  • Nippon Steel Setouchi held off Nippon Express to claim its first tournament win under the current name in 14 years.
  • Mitsubishi Motors Okazaki beat JR Shikoku 3–1, sparked by veteran Kota Toyozumi’s fifth-inning go-ahead triple and a preplanned multi-arm pitching approach.
  • Okazaki manager Yoshihiko Kajiyama said he avoided holding back in the opener and started key reinforcement bats from JR Tokai near the top of the order.
  • On opening day, defending champion Mitsubishi Heavy Industries East fell 1–2 to NTT West, with manager Isao Saeki vowing to reset after the early exit.