Hanshin Tigers Recapture Top Spot with 4 Home Runs and 10 Runs! TV Osaka's 'Nama Tora Stadium Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs. Hanshin Tigers' Broadcast on May 12 (Tuesday) Achieves Top Viewership Rating Among Osaka-Area Stations in Same Time Slot!

On May 12 (Tuesday), the 'Nama Tora Stadium' Part 2 (19:00-20:54) broadcast achieved a top viewership rating of 6.9% among Osaka-area stations. The peak instantaneous rating was 8.5% at 8:45 PM, when Shota Morishita hit his 10th grand slam, tying for the league lead.

TV Osaka 'Nama Tora Stadium' https://www.tv-osaka.co.jp/ip4/tigers/

On May 12 (Tuesday), in the game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Meiji Jingu Stadium, the Hanshin Tigers' offense exploded at the opponent's home ground, winning decisively 10-0 against the Yakult Swallows and returning to the top spot.

The opening was shocking. In the top of the 1st inning, Hanshin's leadoff batter Momu Takadera hit a leadoff home run to left-center field, scoring first. Furthermore, Teruaki Sato's hit directly struck Yakult's starting pitcher Kojiro Yoshimura, causing Yoshimura to make an emergency exit. Yusuke Ohyama then hit a timely double off the hastily called-in second pitcher Reishi Ozawa, giving Hanshin a 2-run lead in the first inning.

Yakult also created a scoring opportunity with runners on first and third in the bottom of the 1st, but Hanshin's starting pitcher Yuki Nishi cut off subsequent batters without allowing a run. In the bottom of the 2nd, Nishi retired the Yakult batters in three, including a double play, and the game remained deadlocked until the middle innings. Nishi fulfilled his role as a starter, leaving the mound after 6 innings, allowing 2 hits and no runs.

In the late innings, Hanshin caught the Yakult pitchers and pulled away. In the 7th inning, Rinshiro Shimamura hit his first professional home run, a 2-run shot to left field. In the 8th, Yusuke Ohyama hit his 5th solo home run. In the 9th, Shota Morishita hit a powerful 10th grand slam to center field, sealing the game. Meanwhile, the Yakult offense was silenced with 5 hits and no runs, and Hanshin, with a balanced offense and pitching, achieved a shutout victory.

©TV Osaka

'Nama Tora Stadium' Staff Comments

☆Commentator... Kiyoshi Fukutani (TV Osaka Announcer) I was excited by the impressive four home runs: Takadera's leadoff HR, Shimamura's first professional HR, Ohyama's return-to-starting lineup monster shot, and Morishita's grand slam. However, what thrilled me the most was the pitching artistry woven by pitcher Nishi and catcher Fushimi, who are the same age.

Catcher Fushimi's early lead, guiding pitcher Nishi who was probably not in his best condition.

Pitcher Nishi's pitching, shifting gears from the middle innings to toy with the opposing batters and seize momentum.

Commentator Masayuki Kakefu, with his keen insight, explained the way the two seemed to converse with each pitch very clearly, and I learned a lot in the broadcast booth.

Regarding pitcher Nishi, I had interviewed him beforehand about his determination to return to the mound after overcoming a right knee injury, which made my commentary unintentionally emotional.

Witnessing the veteran pitcher's dynamic performance on the mound, I, who was in charge of broadcasting a Hanshin game for the first time in two years, also feel a surge of excitement.

☆Program Producer... Keiji Naoki (TV Osaka) One-sided games tend to struggle with viewership ratings. However, it seems that viewers enjoyed watching until the very end, which is great. Thank you very much. All of us staff will continue to believe in consecutive championships and strive to deliver even more interesting broadcasts from before the game until the end of the broadcast time.

Next TV Osaka 'Nama Tora Stadium' is on June 9 (Tuesday) [Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks vs. Hanshin Tigers] @ Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka Part 1: 17:25-19:00 Part 2: 19:00-20:54 <If extended, broadcast on multi-channel> Keywords: