Intermediate Rankings Announced for the New 'Sompo Japan HIKESHI Award' Honoring Relief Pitchers in NPB

Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. (President: Koji Ishikawa, hereinafter "Sompo Japan") announced on May 20 the intermediate rankings for the newly established "Sompo Japan HIKESHI Award" (hereinafter "HIKESHI Award"), which honors relief pitchers starting from the 2026 regular season. Based on objective indicators devised by the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) and Sompo Japan (with cooperation from Data Stadium Inc.), this award system selects one relief pitcher from both the Central and Pacific Leagues who saved their team from the most critical situations throughout the season, to be honored after the season concludes. 1. "Sompo Japan HIKESHI Award" Intermediate Rankings (As of May 17, 2026) Since the opening of the regular season on March 27, 2026, relief pitchers from various teams have taken the mound in critical game situations, performing magnificent "Hikeshi" (firefighting/relief) to save their teams. Based on their performance from the opening to approximately one month in (May 17), we are announcing the top 5 pitchers from both the Central and Pacific Leagues in "HIKESHI Points," which quantifies the severity of the crisis upon entering the game and the contribution made to overcome it. [Central League] 1st: Taylor Hearn (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) / 32 points 2nd: Atsuya Horie (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) / 27 points 3rd: Taisei (Yomiuri Giants) / 26 points 4th: Ren Tawa (Yomiuri Giants) / 23 points 5th: Taichi Takajou (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) / 19 points [Pacific League] 1st: Akira Yagi (Chiba Lotte Marines) / 37 points 2nd: Hikaru Kimura (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) / 22 points 3rd: Masaya Kuroda (Saitama Seibu Lions) / 22 points 4th: Daichi Shibata (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles) / 21 points 5th: Seigi Tanaka (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) / 21 points * For details on the "HIKESHI Points" breakdown, please check the "Sompo Japan HIKESHI Award" special page. https://www.sompo-japan.co.jp/company/initiatives/hikeshi_award/ [Pickup] Looking Back at the "Hikeshi" of Top Pitchers Hearn and Tamai for March-April Central League Taylor Hearn (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) / 23 points (As of the end of April) Pitcher Hearn took the mound in the 1st game against the Yomiuri Giants on April 7. In the top of the 7th with a 3-run lead, 1 out, and runners on first and second—a critical situation where a home run would tie the game—he retired the following batters with a pop fly to short and a strikeout, showing a perfect relief performance by escaping with no runs. Taking the mound carrying two runners left by the previous pitcher (*A: Subject to bonus points), Hearn toyed with the opposing lineup with calm mound presence. He displayed magnificent pitching worthy of the name "Hikeshi." In this outing, allowing no hits or walks (*B: No point deduction) and holding them to zero runs (*C: No point deduction), Hearn earned a high score of 8 HIKESHI points. Vs. Chunichi (March 28): 3 points Vs. Giants (April 7): 8 points Photo credit: Baseball Magazine Sha Pacific League Taisho Tamai (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters) / 31 points (As of the end of April) Pitcher Tamai entered the 3rd game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on April 9. In the bottom of the 6th with a 3-run lead, he faced a massive crisis with no outs and bases loaded, where one hit could reverse the game. He first induced a grounder to third, making it one out with bases loaded. He then induced the next batter into a shortstop ground double play, demonstrating an overwhelming relief performance to escape with no runs. Entering the mound in a crucial phase of the game with no outs and bases loaded, Tamai carried three runners left by the previous pitcher (*A: Subject to bonus points) but showed unshakable mound presence. He displayed crisis avoidance that saved the team, truly living up to the name "Hikeshi." In this outing, allowing no hits or walks (*B: No point deduction) and holding them to zero runs (*C: No point deduction), Tamai earned 21 HIKESHI points. Vs. Rakuten (April 9): 21 points Vs. Seibu (April 28): 8 points Photo credit: Baseball Magazine Sha 2. Regarding Future Ranking Announcements Future rankings will be announced every Tuesday (or the next business day in the case of a public holiday) for the "Top 5 in both Central and Pacific Leagues" on the "Sompo Japan HIKESHI Award" special page on the Sompo Japan official website, as well as on Sompo Japan's official X and Instagram.