Chunichi Dragons player Sho Nakata (36) played his final professional game on the 19th at Vantelin Dome in Nagoya.

After an 18-year professional baseball career spanning three teams, Nakata’s retirement game with the Dragons was filled with cheers from fans as he stepped up for his final at-bat.

Although he struck out, he went down with a full swing—a true slugger who built an era staying true to himself until the very end.

After the game, a retirement ceremony was held for Nakata.

To his surprise, two special guests appeared…

His former manager from his Nippon-Ham days, Hideki Kuriyama, and senior teammate Atsunori Inaba.
Overcome with emotion, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

In his farewell speech, Nakata said…
“Since becoming a professional baseball player up until today, there may have been more struggles than successes. Each time, I was saved by the cheers of the fans. Thank you so very much.”
“One regret is that I couldn’t contribute more to the Dragons. I wanted to win a championship with this team and these members. I believe the current members will bring a championship to the fans in the future.”
“These two years wearing the Dragons uniform have been truly happy. Thank you for everything.”

During the game, in the bottom of the 7th inning while trailing by 4 runs, the Dragons created a chance: Seiya Hosokawa hit a timely double to bring in one run, and Yūta Ishii’s sacrifice fly narrowed the deficit to two runs.

However, in the 8th inning, pitcher Mejia gave up two more runs, and the Dragons fell further behind against the Yakult Swallows.

With that, the team’s possibility of advancing to the Climax Series ended.

The game against Yakult on the 20th will be the retirement match for pitchers Toshiya Okada and Daisuke Sobue.

Vantelin Dome

The Vantelin Dome is a multi-purpose indoor stadium located in Nagoya, Japan. It opened in 1997 and is primarily the home field for the Chunichi Dragons, a professional baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Its name comes from a sponsorship agreement with the Vantelin food and pharmaceutical company.

Chunichi Dragons

The Chunichi Dragons are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, Japan, and are one of the oldest and most popular teams in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Founded in 1936 as the Nagoya Club, the team has won multiple Japan Series championships, with a passionate fanbase known for its distinctive “Dragons Ondo” cheer song.

Nippon-Ham

Nippon-Ham is not a place or cultural site, but rather a major Japanese food processing company, officially named Nippon Ham Group. It was founded in 1949 and is one of Japan’s largest producers of processed ham, sausages, and other meat products. The company is a significant part of Japan’s post-war food industry and is known for its popular brands.

Yakult Swallows

The Yakult Swallows are a professional baseball team based in Tokyo, Japan, originally founded in 1950. They are most famous for their passionate fan culture, including the coordinated cheering and the singing of their anthem, “Tokyo Ondo,” in the sixth inning. The team is named after its longtime owner, the Yakult beverage company.

Climax Series

I am unable to provide a summary for “Climax Series” as it does not refer to a known place or cultural site. It is the name of the championship playoff in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. The term describes a sporting event rather than a physical location with a history.