◆パ・リーグ　オリックス４―３日本ハム（８日・京セラドーム大阪）

Nippon-Ham Kota Tatsu pitcher (22) threw 103 pitches over 6 innings, throwing 5 hit 3 runs for his third loss of the season. His fastball reached 155 km/h, the fastest of the season, and although he grabbed 5 struck out, he couldn't lead to a win.

After the game, he responded to the interview with a frustrated expression, especially reflecting on the Walk he gave Moritomo with one out in the second inning with the score tied 0-0, and the go-ahead two-run homer Moritomo gave up with no outs and a runner on first in the fourth inning. "Lately, I've really felt like I've been a bit too cautious. It was the same last time, but from walk onward, runs. The first goal today was the same. We need to find a solution." Moritomo's shot was count a high fork from 2-2. "That moment was absolutely a situation where you absolutely shouldn't throw into the (strike) zone, so I was too conscious of that, got a bit in, and ended up stepping into the zone. I know it's bad to be too convinced, but I couldn't really put it into practice in that moment," he said with regret.

The 22-year-old, who had a breakout season last year with eight wins, is now earnestly confronting the challenges he's identified as he's made more appearances. "I don't want to get hit, so I try too hard to throw the ball to the right spot from the first pitch, and it gets harder and harder as I go along. To shut them closer completely, I have to throw to those (difficult) spots, but it's hard." He's determined to overcome these new challenges and use his frustration as fuel to grow stronger.