◆ Pacific League Softbank 1-0 Nippon-Ham (1st, Tokyo Dome)
Nippon-Ham 's starting pitcher, Koki Kitayama, pitched for the eighth inning, giving up only six hit one runs. This was his fourth complete game of the season and the team's 16th, but the batting line did not support the team and the team suffered its third loss.
In the 6th inning, with both teams scoreless, with one out and runners on second and third, Akira Nakamura hit a fly ball to right-center field, giving the sacrifice fly to take the lead. However, they managed to stop the next batter, and in the 7th inning, with one out and runners on second and third, they held pinch hitter Kondo to a shallow fly to left field, and Shuto also closer a fly to left field, preventing any additional runs.
Kitayama reflected, "I was thinking about how to avoid letting them score first, and we could have done so with the minimum runs conceded, but we were unable to regain the momentum after they scored an early goal," but manager Shinjo evaluated the game by saying, "I was watching the game with complete ease. We just couldn't win."
Furthermore, when asked about the scene in the seventh inning when he faced pinch hitter Kondo, Manager Shinjo said, "It was a challenge, a challenge, a challenge. Shuto-kun didn't want to do it either. I knew Kitayama-kun would be fine."
Although Kitayama did not win a game, he again reached the required innings pitched and rose to the top of the league with ERA of 1.15. Kitayama said, "I can appreciate that the training and practice I've been doing so far is paying off, but nothing has been decided yet. I think the direction is right, so I'll take that as a positive and hope I can be happy when the season is over."
Related News
・ [Game Details] Softbank vs. Nippon-Ham
・ [Orix] The team's "Okinawa No. 1" was veteran Nishino... Nishikawa and Oshiro were replaced due to injury, but the team is now closing in on the leader, Nippon-Ham with a 1.5 game lead.
・ [Nippon-Ham] Hiromi Ito left the game after giving up 9 hit 5 runs in the 5th inning. Yanagida and Imamiya both allowed one home run.
・ [Nippon-Ham] "Professor" Koki Kitayama shuts out the opposition for the seventh inning, improving ERA to 1.35... "I managed to make it into the game"
・ [Nippon-Ham] First start of the season, Koki Kitayama, wins 1 game... 1 runs in the middle of the 6th inning "I'm very disappointed that I couldn't finish pitching"
