Giants interim manager Hashimoto protests controversial no-catch call in Hiroshima game

In the ninth inning of the June 23 Central League matchup between the Hiroshima Carp and the Yomiuri Giants at Mazda Stadium, a disputed catch call led to a rare moment of frustration for Giants interim manager Hideki Hashimoto. With one out and a runner on first, Hiroshima's fifth batter, Kazuki Kozono, hit a fly ball to left field. Giants left fielder Ryota Sasaki attempted a sliding catch. Initially, third-base umpire Fukuya ruled it a clean catch, resulting in an out. However, Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai immediately challenged the call. Upon video review, the umpires overturned the decision, declaring no catch and that the ball had bounced before Sasaki's glove. The ruling placed runners on first and second base, allowing the inning to continue. Hashimoto emerged from the dugout to argue, but under league rules, the review decision could not be contested. He returned with a wry smile. In response, Hashimoto replaced pitcher Hideaki Tanaka with closer Radley Martínez. Martínez threw just one pitch, inducing a double-play grounder from pinch hitter Kashio Sasaki to end the game. The incident marked Martínez's first career one-pitch save in his 10-year, 387-appearance career, and the first such save by a Giants foreign pitcher in club history.