◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles vs. Softbank Hawks (August 2nd, Rakuten Eagles Mobile)

Rakuten Eagles In the third home game of the season, the first of the season was the "new ballpark No. 1" for the team. In the first inning, No. 1 Daisuke Nakashima outfielder (24) hit the first hitter arch of the season, his first of the season. It was his second arch since last August. The ball crossed the "home run zone" and landed in the conventional right field stands. According to "NPB Plus" the ball was 112 meters away from the pole.

Nakajima, who got a hit off Softbank Hawks 's starting pitcher Otsu, smiled and said, "I hit a fastball. I'm glad we were able to score first. It's only the first inning, so I'll keep trying to get more hits."

The stadium, which has been renamed Rakuten Eagles Mobile's Strongest Park this season, has had its outfield wall renovated. The distance to the foul poles in both left and right field remains unchanged, but the fences near left-center field have been moved forward by 6 meters and near right-center field by 4 meters. The difference in distances was made to take wind direction into consideration. Last season, the team hit the fewest Home Run among the 12 teams with only 70. With these renovations, it is hoped that the number of home runs that land in the left-field stands, where many Rakuten Eagles fans wait, will increase. The distances to the newly installed outfield wall are as follows:

▽Home plate to left field: 100.1 meters (no change)

▽ Home plate to left center: Maximum 110 meters (previously 116 meters)

▽Home plate to center fielder: 122 meters (no change)

▽Home plate to right-center field: 112 meters (previously 116 meters)

▽Home plate to right field: 100.1 meters (no change)

However, in the game the previous day, Yanagida hit home run in the third inning and Kondo hit another in the sixth inning, both key players for the reigning league champions Softbank Hawks who have won the league title for two consecutive years. Both were hits that would have been fly balls to outfield in previous seasons. Manager Miki said, "This is how the stadium is this year. I'm not thinking about what it was like last year at all. home run is home run, so the question is how we'll deal with that going forward." Meanwhile, Yanagida looked back on it happily, saying, "I feel like I got a bonus. It's a great memory." The expectation of an increase Home Run also carries the risk of an increase in home runs allowed.