Judo gold medalist Mitsuki Kondo stepped onto the mound at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on Oct. 27, 2026, delivering a ceremonial opening pitch before Game 3 of the Nippon Series between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Kondo Reveals Team Uniform During Pre-Game Sequence
The pre-game sequence at the Fukuoka stadium began with Kondo walking toward the pitcher's plate dressed in traditional whites with her hair tied back. Just before reaching the mound, she undid her black belt and removed her outer layer, exposing the home team's uniform with "MITSUKI 48" stitched across the back. The crowd responded with loud applause as tenor Shinba Masahiro performed the national anthem prior to the proceedings.
“I was very nervous to stand on the mound for the first time, but it was a lot of fun,” Kondo said afterward, expressing support for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as the series progressed. Social media platforms quickly filled with posts reacting to the uniform reveal and praising the unique delivery.
Asian Games Victory and Family Success in September
The appearance in Fukuoka followed Kondo’s gold-medal performance on Sept. 30, 2026, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena. Competing in the women’s 48kg division, she opened with a hard-fought golden score victory over Uzbekistan’s Laziza Haydarova in the quarterfinals, followed by a waza-ari win against Mongolia’s Ganbaataryn Narantsetseg in the semifinals. In the final against world championships runner-up Abiba Abuzhakynova of Kazakhstan, Kondo capitalized late in a tight, penalty-ridden match to secure an ippon via yoko-shiho-gatame, claiming Japan’s first judo gold of the competition.
The triumph coincided with her 25-year-old brother, Hayato Kondo, winning gold in the men’s 60kg division on the same day by defeating Paris 2024 Olympic champion Yeldos Smetov. Hailing from Takeo, Saga Prefecture, the siblings both developed their careers through local schools before achieving national success. Kondo’s victory in the 48kg division also connects her to a prominent lineage in the weight class, following 2023 Hangzhou winner Natsumi Tsunoda, who went on to capture gold at the Paris Olympics. Prefecture officials in Saga previously recognized Mitsuki by appointing her as an SSP Top Athlete in May 2025.
SoftBank Takes Control in Extra-Inning Thriller
The game that followed Kondo’s opening pitch proved historic for the Nippon Professional Baseball championship series. DeNA broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with an RBI single from Tison Furuichi, backed by seven scoreless innings from starting pitcher Katsuki Higashi. SoftBank rallied in the ninth with an RBI single by Taisei Makihara, sending the contest into extra innings. In the tenth, Tomoya Masaki hit a walk-off solo home run to seal a 2-1 victory for the Pacific League club.
The result marked the third extra-inning game to open the championship series, a first in Nippon Series history. With the win, SoftBank secured a three-game lead and stood one victory away from capturing consecutive titles, setting up Game 4 at the same venue on Oct. 28.
NPB Announces Ceremonial First Pitch Assignments
The Nippon Professional Baseball organization announced the ceremonial first pitch assignments leading up to Game 3, highlighting a diverse roster of sports figures. Former DeNA manager Daisuke Miura threw out the first pitch at Yokohama Stadium for Game 1 on Oct. 24, while professional golfer Suzu Yoshida handled duties for Game 2 on Oct. 25.
