◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 1-2 Rakuten Eagles (April 4th, Belluna Dome)

He was magnificent. 0-0 with two outs in the fifth inning. Seibu Lions Natsuki Takeuchi pitcher struck out catcher The second inning was the third in a row, struck out, and he returned to the bench without much fanfare, but this time he looked a little more relaxed.

In his first appearance of the season, on March 28 against Lotte (ZOZO), he was a 5 inning 7 hit 4 runs black star. In an interview after practice on March 3, he said, "I want to make sure I get the lead hitter to closer and get into a good rhythm. I'm sure there will be a lot of cheering for us at home. I want to respond to that.

The batting lineup was held to just two hit through six innings against starting pitcher Takinaka, receiving no run support. Nevertheless, the veterans showed their determination. Leading off the seventh inning, Tonosaki hit the second pitch from Song, who had just come in as the second pitcher, to left field, putting him within reach of his 1000th hit. Nishikawa was sent in as a pinch runner and replaced, so the milestone achievement will have to wait until the next day.

Kaihino, who came in as the second pitcher in the 8th inning, gave runs a crucial two-run triple to right field to Kobukata, which allowed the opposing team to take the lead.