◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 3-1 Seibu Lions (15th, Kyocera Dome)

Seibu Lions infielder Taiyo Sato has put himself forward as the starting second baseman.

He made his second start of the season as the number 9 batter and second baseman. Leading off in the third inning with his team trailing by one run, he swung at the first hit and hit a single to center field. Then, in the seventh inning with two outs and his team trailing by three runs, he swung at the first pitch again and hit his first professional home run, a solo shot to right field.

"The moment I hit it, it felt perfect, so I knew it would be home run," he said, referring to the perfect hit that left right fielder giving up on chasing it. "Until now, I felt like I was always on the defensive when I stepped up to the plate. But after yesterday's batting practice, I started to be more proactive and go after the ball, and that worked," he said, explaining how changing his approach immediately yielded results.

In his second professional season, he started in the minor leagues, but joined the first team on the 11th due to Tonosaki's injury. Ishii, who was the starting second baseman for Nippon-Ham last season and moved to the team as a free agent last offseason, is currently adjusting in the minor leagues due to poor performance, and Takizawa, who started a team-high 59 games at second baseman last season, is also not in good form this season, with only 1 hit in 20 At Bat a batting average of .050, leaving second base open. "My goal is to become a regular. Home Run came at a good time. I think this is where I need to work hard," he said, aiming to seize the starting position in one fell swoop.