◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 9-10 Orix Buffaloes (August 2nd, ES CON FIELD)

On the 2nd, Nippon-Ham suffered a come-from-behind loss against Orix Buffaloes in a slugfest (at Escon Stadium). The team's 5000th victory, which they were just one win away from, was put on hold. However, in the 9th inning, third-round draft pick infielder Ruan Ohtsuka (22) came in as a pinch hitter and hit his first professional home run, a solo shot over the right field fence. His last-minute home run gave the team hope, and he nodded, saying, "I'm not satisfied with just one home run, so I want to keep building on this."

He remained calm even when he was down in the count after just two pitches. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs and no runner on base, trailing by two runs, he swung at the fifth pitch from Orix Buffaloes 's Machado, a 157 km/h pitch. His first professional home run soared into the right-field stands. "It was really fast and I was down in the count, so I just went for the fast ball without hesitation. I hit it well and the angle was up, so I thought it might go in," he said, reflecting on his memorable home run.

Even manager Shinjo, who was unusually dejected after the heartbreaking come-from-behind loss, said, "Otsuka's home run calmed me down a bit." Otsuka commented, "I was able to swing without hesitation in the batter's box. My at-bats felt better than I expected, and home run came sooner than I thought it would. It gives me confidence." He will continue to build on these valuable hits on the professional stage, having gained confidence from his performance. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)