◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Orix Buffaloes (12th, Rakuten Mobile Park)

It was a tense moment when he stepped up to relieve. Rakuten Eagles 's pitcher, Chiharu Tanaka (25), poured his overflowing fighting spirit into every throw. In the 7th inning, with a one-run lead, one out, and a runner on second base, he came in as the second reliever. closer Seymour to fly out to left field, and then faced Keita Nakagawa at bat. It was the same Nakagawa who had hit a two-run RBI single against him in the game against Orix Buffaloes on March 28th (at Kyocera Dome). He had no choice but to get revenge.

"Last time, when I made my first appearance (after transferring), I was beaten, so I felt like I needed to shift into a higher gear. I was determined to get him out, and I wasn't feeling weak at all."

On his first pitch, he threw a low fork for a ground ball to the shortstop, escaping the jam. Released from the tension, a smile spread across his face. In his seventh appearance of the season, he has become an indispensable part of bullpen with ERA of 1.42. "I'm only thinking about throwing my ball with all my might to where catcher is asking for it. That's working well right now. I'm able to pitch with confidence," he said proudly.

He joined Rakuten Eagles as compensation for Norimoto, who moved to The Giants as a free agent. He currently lives in the "Izumi Inuwashi Dormitory" in Sendai. "I spend a lot of time with Fujiwara (the first-round draft pick rookie), so I'm enjoying life there right now, and it's a relaxing environment for me." He plans to move out of the dormitory soon and start living alone. He's spending his days interacting with the rookies, which is helping him rediscover his initial passion.

In the game against Seibu Lions on the 4th (at Belluna Stadium), he recorded his first professional save. He received congratulatory messages such as "Nice save" and "Nice pitch" from Akahoshi and Izumi of his former team, The Giants. He will use that joy as motivation to do his best in his new team.

It was his first time on the victory platform at his home stadium. Looking out at the audience, he conveyed this message as if introducing himself.

"There are a lot of Takinaka-san and Kogo-san towels. There aren't many Tanaka towels. Oh, there are a few. I'll do my best to increase the number of Tanaka towels, so please support me!"

He made a great first impression. Backed by the cheers of the city of Sendai, he confidently swung his right arm. (Hiroshi Kato)