Watching the ball make a satisfying crack, Nippon-Ham infielder Kotaro Kiyomiya (26) began to run slowly. As the ball cleared the left-center wall, he repeatedly clenched his left fist, savoring the moment. It was the bottom of the 6th inning, with no outs and runners on first and second base, immediately after the team had tied the game. He connected with a 144 km/h fastball from Rakuten Eagles 's third pitcher, Kajiya. It was a game-winning 3-run homer, his 5th of the season. Since it was his at-bat right after the team had tied the game with three consecutive hits, he smiled and said, "It was a momentum that everyone had created. I think I was able to ride it well."

It was a hit exactly as planned. "I've faced Kajiya-san many times, and I had his pitches and types of pitches memorized. I think I was able to put that to good use." He was waiting for a high pitch. He connected with a slightly sweet outside fastball with one swing. As for the direction of the hit, "It went in the direction of the course, so I think it's good." He hadn't gotten hit in the last two games, but he proved he's in good form with his fifth multi-hit hit of the season.

He is embodying the image he envisioned. After losing to Softbank Hawks in the final stage of the Climax Series last season, he reflected on what was lacking. "Power hitting. It's one of our strengths, so I want to improve on that and become stronger. That's what we were completely lacking last year." The team led the league with 129 Home Run, but he himself had only 12. As he had said, "If I hit 30 home runs, we'll be closer to winning the championship," he has already hit 5 in the first 12 games of the season. He has also increased RBI to 11, tying for the league lead in both Home Run and RBI.

Manager Shinjo was as critical as ever, saying, "Just average, just average. That's what they should be able to do," but a big hit secured their third consecutive series win, completely erasing the nightmare of three straight losses at the start of the season. They now have a season-high two wins above .500, and will face Softbank Hawks in a two-game home series starting on the 11th. "We want to get revenge," Kiyomiya Yuki said with a strong nod. They will first settle the score with the champions who thwarted their opening game. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)