Tokyo International News Agency

On May 1, 2026, during a matchup between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Jingu Stadium, baseball fans were treated to an extraordinary scene. In the 8th inning, with the score at a lopsided 15-5, DeNA sent infielder Tatsuhiro Shibata to the mound as their fifth pitcher. This rare sight—believed to be the first time in franchise history a position player has pitched—sent a wave of excitement and cheers through the stands. The game was a struggle for DeNA from the start as Yakult's offense exploded. Kazuya Maruyama hit for the cycle, and the Swallows combined for four home runs. With DeNA trailing by 11 runs and facing a two-out, runners-on-first-and-third situation in the bottom of the 8th, Shibata—who had been playing third base—was called to the mound. The stadium atmosphere immediately intensified. Shibata's pitches ranged from the low 110s to a peak of 121 km/h (approx. 75 mph). Facing Yakult’s Takeshi Miyamoto, he battled through a full count bef...

Tokyo Yakult Swallows' beloved mascot, Tsubakuro, is set to resume his activities from the Jingu Opening Day game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp on Tuesday, March 31st, a revelation that has been met with cheers from fans. According to the team's official announcement, Tsubakuro is expected to make a lively appearance on the field, coinciding with the 6:00 PM game start. The announcement of his return was a surprise reveal at the end of the team's "Deployment Ceremony." Fans, initially disappointed by Tsubakuro's absence from the ceremony, erupted in excitement when he finally appeared on camera in the closing moments. Comments such as, "I thought Tsubakuro wouldn't be at the deployment ceremony, but they snuck him in at the very end!" were heard, and social media was flooded with warm messages from eager fans, including "Welcome back, Tsubakuro-kun😭😭" and "Tsubakuro, we've been waiting for you😌 Nice to have you back!"...