Takahashi vs. Imai: LIONS THANKS FESTA 2025 Preview

On November 23rd, “LIONS THANKS FESTA 2025 supported by Olive” was held at Belluna Dome. After the stage event, “Overwhelming entertainment baseball! ‘ is the first baseball showdown between players in about 20 years. Sparks flew between Team Tonosaki, led by Shuta Tonosaki, and Team Genda, led by Sosuke Genda.

The showdown between Mitsunari Takahashi and Tatsuya Imai has come true! The result is…

Team Tonosaki’s pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi and Team Genda’s pitcher Tatsuya Imai are the starting pitchers who are likely to leave Saitama Seibu. Additionally, pitcher Imai was the No. 1 batter, and from the top of the first inning, a dream showdown between pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi and pitcher Imai was realized. And the result was… pitcher Imai hit a double that beat the left field line. With this as an opportunity, Team Genda took the lead with a well-timed hit by pitcher Yosho Yamada.

Pitcher Imai is a serious pitcher, recording speeds of 150km/h even as a starter. In his confrontation with No. 2 pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi, he struck out. There was also a scene where the ball was so fast that the catcher was changed from pitcher Yamada to Atsushi Ryuzan, who is his main job. He enjoyed his final pitch with the Lions.

Pitchers Tomoichiro Sumida and Ginjiro Sumiya were playing shortstop, while Natsuo Takizawa and Aiya Nishikawa were also on the mound, playing baseball in completely different positions than usual. The game was a battle for points, and in the top of the second inning, Ryosuke Korezawa hit a running home run from Junichiro Kishi.

Furthermore, the presence of “special cards” as special rules also made the match more interesting. In a pinch with no outs on second base, the Tonosaki team activated the “all defense” strategy, and all the players on the bench went to the ground. They lined up in Sanyuma and strengthened their defense, but Seiya Watanabe’s ball hit a fly to left field. In addition, there are various exchanges of cards such as “Pinch Runner Belloonya”…

In the top of the third inning, Team Genda used the no-out, bases-loaded rule and appointed Goya Nakamura as a pinch hitter. At this point, Team Tonosaki counterattacked by saying, “First base is far away,” and even though they lost one point, they grounded out in the infield. Furthermore, Tsuyoshi Nakamura, who was running at full speed, was called the designated batter and was brought back to bat, and he grounded out to second base.

In the end, Team Tonosaki won 7-4. The MVP award went to Goya Nakamura, who had the most excitement in the stands with his presence during the game.

Tatsuya Imai shed tears at the closing ceremony…

At the closing ceremony, Nishikawa was in charge of the final greetings and the closing ceremony. They walked around the stadium to express their gratitude, and at the end, pitchers Mitsunari Takahashi and Imai were shown in the vision. The two waved to the fans, but Imai held his eyes involuntarily and burst into tears. I was sad to say goodbye to the Lions.

After the conclusion of LIONS THANKS FESTA 2025, a fundraiser will be held on the grounds for the large-scale fire that occurred in Oita Prefecture on the 18th. Players from the same prefecture, Sosuke Genda, Yudai Furukawa, Seima Karyu, and coach Yusuke Torigoe appealed for donations.