◇ Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs Tokyo Yakult Open Match (20th, ES CON FIELD)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham 's Taisei Yanagawa pitcher scored three consecutive struck out in the top of the eighth.

The top of the 8th inning with a one-run deficit. pitcher Yanagawa moved up to mound as the 5th player, and against the leadoff player Yukihiro Iwata, he finished off with 3 pitches and struck out in both fastball. In the following match against pinch hitter Seiya Hashimoto, fork was determined and it was considered full count. Still, the game over 8 pitches was swinging struck out with a fastball of 154 km/h. Hideki Nagaoka did not lose his bullish attitude, and took the struck out of the swing in a way that was delayed, making it a spectacular strike out show.

The batting line tied the game in the bottom of the 8th inning immediately after with a timely hit by Yuya Gunji player. It became a pitch that brought in the flow. pitcher Yanagawa stood out last season with a ERA of 1.02 in 37 games, including 11 saves. This season, with no guardian deity decided, there are no runs in 4 consecutive open matches so far. Can he continue to appeal and win that position?

Text: Aoi Yokoyama