# 2026年10月22日(木) ナイツ ザ・ラジオショー(パートナー箕輪はるか)

- Show: ナイツ ザ・ラジオショー【最新回のみ】
- Published: 2026-10-23
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1571410795_c9add287e20a.html
- Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/67122501-9b17-4d77-84bd-a93d00dc791e/5dc00738-7328-4672-a66f-ac390052cc4b/6998b64c-47d4-423b-b6a6-b4eb008cc9ae/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=12586d3d-2dfd-4ae2-a8cc-b2a00075a670
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

Prompted by Ichiro's birthday, Knights (ナイツ) unpacked how Kudo Kimiyasu's (工藤公康) new role as Chunichi manager connects to a broader conversation about why .300 hitters have nearly vanished from Japanese baseball. The episode also coincided with the NPB Draft, where a prospect sharing the duo's surname drew particular attention, and partner Minowa Haruka (箕輪はるか) recounted how a university festival MC in Gifu had TikTok-prepped her "ja nee yo" (じゃねえよ) material and executed it flawlessly.

## What this episode answers

### Why have .300 hitters become so rare in Japanese professional baseball in recent years?

According to Kudo Kimiyasu, the main cause is the proliferation of the forkball: what was once a put-away pitch is now thrown at any count, and batters simply cannot keep up with a fast, dropping ball used so frequently.

### Which draft prospect were Knights most focused on on the day of the NPB Draft?

Hanawa-kun (花輪くん), a batter from Daito Bunka University — Knights noted that if he were drafted by the Giants, his surname would appear on the back of a uniform just as it did for Takemaru-shisho (竹丸師匠) the previous year.

### Which comedian did a listener point out that Tsuchiya Nobuyuki's (土屋信之) verbal tic "mochiron" (もちろん) was starting to resemble?

A listener pointed out the resemblance to Kawakita-san (川北さん) of Shinku Jessica (真空ジェシカ), but after discussion Tsuchiya concluded that "mochiron" actually originated with Yamaguchi-kun (山口くん) of Kaname Stone (カナメストーン), and the similarity to Kawakita is coincidental.

### What experience did Minowa Haruka have at the university festival in Gifu?

Haruka performed alongside Sanshiro (三四郎) at a university in Gifu Prefecture; the student MC had studied her "ja nee yo" bits on TikTok and, having saved the "Shrek ja nee yo" (シュレックじゃねえよ) line that wasn't used during the set, delivered it at the perfect moment — and had held back the Stella-obasan line precisely because it had already appeared mid-performance.

### What parallel between the announcer industry and the draft system came up in the episode?

It was noted that TBS announcers sometimes join the network after failing to get into NHK or Fuji Television, mirroring aspects of a draft system; Katopan (カトパン) — announcer Kato Ayako (加藤綾子) — was cited as an example, though it was clarified that the nickname "Katopan" was given after she joined Fuji Television and did not exist during her university days.

## Article

## Ichiro's Birthday and Long-Serving Active Players

A listener email from Hirameki Megane sparked the topic: Ichiro, born in 1973 and now 53 years old, played professionally until age 47. Kudo Kimiyasu — newly appointed manager of the Chunichi Dragons — similarly pitched until he was 47 or 48. A YouTube video of Kudo was referenced in which he advises SoftBank's Yanagita Yuki (柳田悠岐), 38, to "keep running even on rest days — if you run, you can play at any age, and it will pay off someday." Yanagita went on to hit 38 home runs during a blistering August–September stretch this season. The conversation shifted to how the generation of Tanaka Masahiro (田中将大), Sakamoto Hayato (坂本勇人), and Akiyama Shogo (秋山翔吾) is now at the very top of the age ladder, making survival as a position player increasingly difficult. Tsuchiya also revealed that he has a calendar from about five years ago bearing the signature of Yamaguchi (山口) of Lotte, and that he is now frantically searching for it.

## How the Forkball Killed the .300 Hitter

The heart of the Kudo video was his answer to the question "Why are there so few .300 hitters today?" His explanation: the forkball used to be a finishing pitch, but modern pitchers now throw it at every count — including to get ahead. When a fast, sinking ball is thrown that frequently, batters have no answer. Kudo also cited holding a "fast, sinking pitch" as the prerequisite for succeeding in the majors. On the pitching side, he noted that Japan's ideal for its national team is a full roster throwing 160 km/h, but that command matters most. The discussion broadened to speculation that batters may eventually stage a revolution of their own.

## Draft Day: Eyes on Hanawa-kun, and an Announcer Parallel

Recording fell on the day of the NPB Draft, and the hosts planned to watch the live-stream draft coverage after getting home. When a listener asked what Tsuchiya would do if he received only an育成 (ikusei / developmental) selection, the reply was instant: "Comedy pays better." The prospect drawing the most attention was Hanawa-kun, a batter from Daito Bunka University who shares the duo's surname. The hosts expressed hope that if the Giants drafted him, his name would appear on the back of a uniform — the same pleasure they got when Takemaru-shisho's name appeared last year.

The conversation drifted to the announcer world. It was pointed out that TBS announcers sometimes enter the network only after failing to land at NHK or Fuji Television, an echo of how baseball's draft works. Katopan — Fuji Television announcer Kato Ayako — came up as an example of a "drafted" talent, though it was quickly clarified that the nickname "Katopan" was coined after she joined Fuji and did not exist when she was a student.

## Listener Mail: The Origin of Tsuchiya's "Mochiron"

A listener named Pyosupyosu wrote in to say that Tsuchiya's go-to affirmation "mochiron" (of course) has been sounding more and more like Kawakita-san of Shinku Jessica — so much so that while listening during a task, the listener thought Kawakita was actually in the studio. Tsuchiya seemed genuinely surprised to hear he had been doing it unconsciously. After some back-and-forth, the group concluded that "mochiron" actually originated as a verbal tic of Yamaguchi-kun of Kaname Stone, and that Kawakita happens to use the same word — hence the confusion. A benchmark was proposed: if Tsuchiya starts saying Kawakita-specific phrases like "ma-chan gomen ne" (まーちゃんごめんね), that would be genuine influence.

## Minowa Haruka Gets Perfectly Set Up by a TikTok-Prepped Student MC in Gifu

Haruka appeared at a university festival in Gifu Prefecture alongside Sanshiro — two acts together. The student MC had prepared individual questions for each performer. Komiya-san (小宮さん) got a sincere "Why did you become a comedian?" Aida-san (相田さん) got a question that required the MC to check a piece of paper to confirm the name. Haruka's question came last: "You ran a marathon, didn't you?" She immediately recognized it as a setup — the MC knew the "ja nee yo" bit Haruka had done with Cream Stew's Ueda-san (クリームシチューの上田さん) and was fishing for a "dare da yo" (誰だよ / who even are you) response. Haruka delivered the line, and the MC erupted with delight.

The MC then closed with "You're not wearing green today, are you?" — prompting Haruka to fire back "Shrek ja nee yo!" Afterward the MC admitted that the line originally most wanted — the Stella Obasan (ステラおばさん) reference — had already been used during the set itself, so a backup was prepared. The fact that the MC had watched multiple TikTok clips of the "ja nee yo" material and carefully held in reserve any line not used during the performance left Haruka genuinely impressed.

## Takeaways

- Kudo Kimiyasu attributes the near-extinction of .300 hitters in modern Japanese baseball to pitchers now using the forkball at every count rather than as a put-away pitch alone.
- Tsuchiya's reflex affirmation "mochiron" traces back to Kaname Stone's Yamaguchi-kun, not Shinku Jessica's Kawakita-san, despite sounding similar.
- A university MC in Gifu used multiple TikTok clips to prep Minowa Haruka's "ja nee yo" callbacks, even holding one line in reserve because it appeared mid-set — a level of preparation that genuinely surprised her.