◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 0-4 Orix Buffaloes (August 1st, Belluna Dome)

infielder Kazunari Ishii, who transferred from Nippon-Ham as a free agent last offseason, hit his long-awaited first hit since the transfer on the 1st.

He started the game as the number nine hitter and second baseman. In the eighth inning with one out and a runner on first, trailing by four runs, hit a 148 km/h fastball from opposing starter Espinoza for a single through the gap between second and short. For Ishii, it was his first hit in his third game and seventh at-bat since joining the team, and he smiled, saying, "I want to make this a good opportunity. I've received a lot of advice from the hitting coach and I'm feeling good, so now it's just a matter of how I approach the matchup against pitcher. I want to go in with confidence."

He played in 15 exhibition games, but his performance was still poor, with only 3 hit in 37 At Bat and a batting average of .081.