He is a hope for second-tier players, joining the ninth-ranked team and making his first-tier debut in four years, going 0-for-9 second-tier relegation, returning to the finals in three months

Jul 16, 2025

He is a hope for second-tier players, joining the ninth-ranked team and making his first-tier debut in four years, going 0-for-9 second-tier relegation, returning to the finals in three months
Softbank Yamamoto hit a come-from-behind three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against Chiba Lotte on the 15th. It was his first home run in his fourth year of joining the club, 13 games, and 37 at-bats. Photo Source = Softbank Hawks SNS



He is a hope for second-tier players, joining the ninth-ranked team and making his first-tier debut in four years, going 0-for-9 second-tier relegation, returning to the finals in three months
Yamamoto joined the team in 2022 with the 9th nomination and made his first team debut this year. He switched from a nurturing player to a formal player in April and played in the first team game for the first time. I got a chance due to the injury of my senior Yanagita. Photo Source = Softbank Hawks SNS
The Pacific League's prestigious Softbank Hawks have long been the highest-paid team. It seeks to win every year by recruiting external power through bold investments. Cuban left-hander Livan Moinello and Major League Save King closing pitcher Roberto Osuna will receive an annual salary of 1 billion yen (about 9.3 billion won). It was verified by SoftBank and signed a contract for '4 years-4 billion yen' side by side. Kohei Arihara and Naoyuki Uwasa, the main players of the starting lineup, went through the Major League and wore Softbank uniforms, not their original team, the Nippon Ham Fighters. If Softbank makes a bet, there is no team to beat.

Kondo Kensuke and Hotaka Yamakawa, the main hitters who led last year's championship, were also brought from outside. Outfielder Kondo moved to Nippon Ham and first baseman Yamakawa to FA from the Seibu Lions.

However, he is also serious about fostering players by investing generously. It has the largest number of players among the 12 teams in both leagues. It is the only one that has four divisions beyond the 1st to 3rd divisions. SoftBank picked a total of 19 people in the 2025 rookie draft held in October last year. He called the most players out of the 12 teams. More than double the Rakuten Eagles, Hiroshima Carp, who have fewer than 10 players. Thirteen of them were named as nurturing players.




More than 100 players who passed through the narrow doors of the rookie draft compete for survival. There are so many good resources and fierce competition that more than 10 players are released every year. As of 2023, four first-designated players have left the team in the previous decade. There are cases where they refuse even after receiving a nomination.

The Chiba Lotte Marines match was held at the Fukuoka Paypay Dome on the 15th. Softbank succeeded in turning the tables in the bottom of the third inning, trailing 1-2. With two outs and runners on the first and second bases, No. 5 Keita Yamamoto (26) hit a three-run home run. He pushed a 149km/h fastball thrown by Chiba Lotte starter Austin Bose to the left stands. 야마모토가
He is a hope for second-tier players, joining the ninth-ranked team and making his first-tier debut in four years, going 0-for-9 second-tier relegation, returning to the finals in three months
Yamamoto went 0-for-9 in April and went down to the second team in two weeks. He returned to the first team on the 3rd and has completely changed. Photo Source = Softbank Hawks SNS
It was his first home run in his fourth year as a professional, 13 games in his career, and 37 at-bats. He said his wife was watching his first home run in the stands.

This home run changed the course of the game. Softbank scored extra points in the 4, 5, and 7th innings to win 10-2. He scored double digits in 19 games. After three consecutive losses, two wins in a row. It was 2.5 games apart from the first-place Nippon Ham.




Yamamoto graduated from Meise University and joined SoftBank under the 9th nomination in 2022. He made his debut in the first team this year, his fourth year as a professional. He switched to an official player last April. The injury of Yanagita Yuki (37) was an opportunity.

The long-awaited first team was not easy. He went 0-for-9 in April and went down to the second team in two weeks. He said "I couldn't compete with the pitcher in my own way."

He had a batting average of 0.378 in the second division. The overwhelming performance resulted in a call from the first team. He returned to the first team on the 3rd. Yamamoto had become a different player. On the first day, he started as a sixth right fielder against Nippon Ham and had three hits, including a double.




After returning to the first team, he hit a batting average of '0.375'. He must have been worried about the high wall of the first team, but he overcame the burden. He started with no hits in nine at-bats, and his batting average for the season rose to 0.273 (9 hits in 33 at-bats).

Yamamoto hopes to motivate athletes who are working hard in the second division" No. 77 Yamamoto told SoftBank 2nd-tier players and developers Hee
He is a hope for second-tier players, joining the ninth-ranked team and making his first-tier debut in four years, going 0-for-9 second-tier relegation, returning to the finals in three months
Yamamoto, who made his debut in the first team this year in his fourth year of joining the team, said, "I want to motivate the players who are playing hard in the second team." Photo Source = Softbank Hawks SNS
It's a mess.

Sadaharu Oh (King Jeong-gi), the legendary home run king, said, "Yamamoto's shot was big. You'll play better in the future," he said, praising his batting ability.

Senga Godai (New York Mets) started as a nurturing player at Softbank and is active in the Major League.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.