The Solid Defense Crumbled by the "Demonic 4th Inning" ── The Main Cannons' Silence and the Koshien Night Counterattacked by Shunsuke Sasaki 【Hanshin vs Yomiuri】 July 25, 2026
Koshien, where the lingering resonance of the previous night's fierce battle remains. In the second round of the battle for first place, Hanshin took the lead with Motoyama's sacrifice fly and seemed to have grasped the initiative. However, the terror of baseball is that a "momentary unraveling" becomes a fatal wound. Ryoto Ihara, who had been pitching well, was suddenly swallowed by Yomiuri's fierce attack in the top of the 4th. Starting with Dalbec's game-tying shot, he was hit by consecutive timely hits from Sasaki and Ishizuka, giving up 4 runs all at once. Is this the reason it's called the "demonic 4th inning"? Although the lineup hit 7 hits, the core of Morishita, Sato, and Ohyama all fell completely silent, unable to fully capture Yomiuri's starter Takemaru. The gears of pitching and hitting went awry, and the Tigers weakly yielded before the concentrated hits of Yomiuri, who vowed revenge for the previous night.
📊 Scoreboard: Momentary Collapse and an Unconnecting Lineup
3rd Inning Bottom (Hanshin): In a golden opportunity with bases loaded and one out, 6th batter Hiyu Motoyama, whose batting is in good form, hit a sacrifice fly to left. Hanshin steadily takes the opening run. 【HAN 1-0 YOM】
4th Inning Top (Yomiuri): No outs, bases empty. 4th batter Dalbec hit his 17th solo home run to center, immediately tying the game. Furthermore, with no outs and runners on first and second, 7th batter Shunsuke Sasaki hit a go-ahead timely double to right. Continuing with no outs and runners on second and third, 8th batter Yusei Ishizuka also launched a 2-run timely double to right, a fierce attack snatching 4 runs all at once. 【HAN 1-4 YOM】
6th Inning Top (Yomiuri): With no outs and bases empty, against Masaki Oikawa, who replaced Hanshin's second pitcher Moretta, Shunsuke Sasaki hit his 7th solo home run plunging into the left side of the batter's eye. An additional run that decided the game. 【HAN 1-5 YOM】
🧾 Starting Lineups
Hanshin Tigers
Order
Pos
Player
B/T
AVG/ERA
Cond
1
CF
Koji Chikamoto
L/L
.243
Slump
2
2B
Takumu Nakano
L/L
.298
Good
3
RF
Shota Morishita
R/R
.289
Terrible
4
3B
Teruaki Sato
R/L
.323
Terrible
5
1B
Yusuke Ohyama
R/R
.271
Slump
6
SS
Hiyu Motoyama
R/L
.375
Excellent
7
LF
Masahiro Tateishi
R/R
.206
Normal
8
C
Torai Fushimi
R/R
.205
Normal
9
P
Ryoto Ihara
L/L
3.18
Good
Yomiuri Giants
Order
Pos
Player
B/T
AVG/ERA
Cond
1
2B
Shunsuke Urata
R/L
.283
Normal
2
CF
Go Matsumoto
R/R
.266
Normal
3
RF
Misaki Sasahara
R/R
.264
Normal
4
1B
Dalbec
R/R
.263
Good
5
C
Takumi Ohshiro
L/L
.277
Slump
6
SS
Yuto Kohama
R/R
.258
Normal
7
LF
Shunsuke Sasaki
L/L
.247
Normal
8
3B
Yusei Ishizuka
R/R
.118
Good
9
P
Kazuyuki Takemaru
L/L
3.07
Slump
🧠 Baseball Freak Analysis ── "The Fragmented Core and the Trap Set by Yomiuri's Lower Order"
🔬 Key Player Analysis: Shunsuke Sasaki's "Terror" and the Main Core's Silence
The MVP of this game is undoubtedly Yomiuri's 7th batter, Shunsuke Sasaki. 3 hits and 2 RBIs, including the go-ahead timely hit in the 4th and the insurance solo shot in the 6th. When shown such batting by the lower order, the Hanshin battery has no place to catch their breath. In contrast, Hanshin suffered as their 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters—Morishita, Sato, and Ohyama—all struggled in conditions of "terrible slump" or "slump," completely ceasing to function. The lineup was fragmented, and the only run was from Motoyama's sacrifice fly. A team where the leading actors fell silent, and a team where the unsung heroes exploded. That contrast was directly connected to the score.
Ryoto Ihara, who had continued his undefeated rapid advance, suddenly lost his control in the top of the 4th. Tied by Dalbec's home run, he then took a barrage of hits and gave up 4 runs all at once. He completely let go of the momentum in a single inning. Manager Fujikawa opted for early relays with Moretta and Oikawa, but all was lost when Oikawa gave up a home run to Sasaki. When the starter collapses, further load is placed on the bullpen, which still had fatigue from yesterday's extra innings, and the negative chain reaction cannot be stopped.
📈 Managerial Tactics and Momentum: Caught in Takemaru's Magic and the Dilemma of "One More Hit"
Yomiuri starter Kazuyuki Takemaru was by no means in top form. However, with tenacious pitching that tightened the crucial moments even while allowing runners, he didn't permit the Hanshin lineup a decisive hit. In particular, the "mountain of left-on-base runners" where nothing followed even when Nakano created chances gave birth to impatience in the Hanshin bench. Being able to snatch only 1 run via a sacrifice fly in the bases-loaded chance in the 3rd inning, as a result, let Takemaru recover and invited Yomiuri's fierce attack (comeback drama) in the 4th.
📒 Tactical Summary
The hit count was 7 to 10. While Hanshin did get runners on, due to the slump of the core, they couldn't attack as a "line" at all. Yomiuri gained momentum with Dalbec's game-tying shot and showed an "ideal connection" where lower-order batters Sasaki and Ishizuka reliably brought the runners home. It was a game that vividly showed how terrifying a team is when its lower order functions in baseball, and how fatal the "collapse in a single inning" of a starting pitcher is.
🔮 Future Outlook
For Hanshin, Ihara suffered his first loss of the season, and the team also suffered consecutive losses. Above all, the slump of the core—Morishita, Sato, and Ohyama—is severe. Under the extreme pressure of the battle for first place, how they regain their original batting form is an urgent task. For tomorrow's 3rd game, Manager Fujikawa's drastic drastic measures, such as a major rearrangement of the batting order or the deployment of youngsters, might be necessary.
Yomiuri, carrying the momentum of the dramatic victory from the previous night, showed connection in their lineup and won comfortably. In particular, the rousing of lower-order batters like Sasaki and Ishizuka will give the team great vitality. With this winning streak, they have welcomed a perfect opportunity to pull away from Hanshin and solidify their sole possession of first place. Whether they can maintain this momentum in tomorrow's game will be the key.
"A momentary unraveling invites an irreversible collapse. The night breeze of Koshien quietly asks when the bats of the silenced main cannons will breathe fire again."
🎙️ Baseball Freak Column: The Undefeated Myth Turned Dark, and the "Demonic 4th Inning" That Dominated Koshien ── The Night the Tigers' Main Cannons Fell Silent
Koshien, where we were shown a cruel comeback drama from the last pitch the previous night. As if to wipe away that pain, the stands on July 25, 2026, were enveloped in a bizarre heat and a thirst for revenge from before the game. Hanshin's starter intercepting the first-place Yomiuri was left-hander Ryoto Ihara, who has decorated an undefeated 3-game winning streak so far. Facing him was Yomiuri's Kazuyuki Takemaru, who excels in the ability to build a game even when slumping. The opening for both was truly the calm before the storm.
The one who grasped the initiative in the early stages was Hanshin. In the bottom of the 3rd, Ihara himself created a chance with the bat, setting up the perfect stage of bases loaded with one out. Standing at the plate here was 6th batter Hiyu Motoyama, in excellent form with a .375 batting average. He bit into Takemaru's pitch and precisely hit a sacrifice fly to left. Hanshin scores first. 1-0. A muddy yet reliable single run tearing through the heavy atmosphere. The voltage of Koshien reached its climax, and it seemed Ihara's undefeated myth would continue.
However, the god of baseball sometimes bares its fangs cruelly and abruptly. Top of the 4th, it was truly the "demonic 4th inning." Ihara, who had been pitching well, threw his 3rd pitch from a 2-0 count to the lead-off 4th batter, Dalbec. The sweet straight pitch was perfectly caught, and the white ball was sucked right next to the center batter's eye. Game-tying home run. This single shot completely threw off Ihara's gears.
Continuing to allow Ohshiro and Kohama on base, no outs, runners on first and second. At the plate here was 7th batter Shunsuke Sasaki, who would become the MVP of this night. The hit repelled to right from a 0-1 count became a go-ahead timely double. Furthermore, the pinch of no outs, runners on second and third continued, and he was hit for a 2-run timely double to right by 8th batter Yusei Ishizuka as well. Without getting a single out, an angry wave of 4 consecutive hits snatching 4 runs all at once. The cheers of Koshien turned into screams, and then into a heavy silence. Ihara's undefeated myth crumbled fragilely in this dark turn of just one inning.
Hanshin allowed the comeback, but there were still 5 innings remaining. There should have been plenty of chances to counterattack. However, a fatal "fault line" existed in Hanshin's lineup on this day. 3rd batter Shota Morishita, 4th batter Teruaki Sato, 5th batter Yusuke Ohyama. The clean-up trio the Tigers boast were all suffering at the very bottom of a slump together. Even if Nakano was in good form and got on base, and the lower order created chances, the line would snap abruptly at this core. Before Takemaru's tenacious pitching, their bats continued to swing vainly through empty air.
In the top of the 6th, relieving Masaki Oikawa again gave up a solo home run to the batter's eye to Shunsuke Sasaki, making it 1-5. The trend of the game was completely decided. When it was over, although Hanshin hit 7 hits, their score was only 1 run from the sacrifice fly in the 3rd. It was a game that vividly showed how terrifying it is when the lineup does not function as a "line."
In contrast, Yomiuri deployed an ideal attack, catching fire with Dalbec's home run and the lower order batters Sasaki and Ishizuka reliably bringing the runners home. A team where the leading actors fell silent, and a team where the supporting actors were dynamic. That contrast was carved onto the scoreboard exactly as it was.
With this, Hanshin suffers a bitter consecutive loss. It took the form of being pulled away by Yomiuri in the battle for first place. Ihara's first loss, the severe slump of the core, and the collapse of the pitching staff on consecutive days. The Fujikawa Tigers are now facing the biggest trial of the season. To escape this darkness, they have no choice but to simply swing the bat, get covered in mud, and look forward. In tomorrow's 3rd game, the fans at Koshien are waiting with a feeling akin to prayer for the moment the Tigers' main cannons roar again.
"A single demonic inning swallows everything. Will the silence of the fragmented lineup become a trial to give birth to intense rebellious spirit for tomorrow?"
