◆パ・リーグ　オリックス０―２日本ハム（１０日・京セラドーム大阪）

Kansai TV announcer Wakako Hashimoto provided commentary for the fourth time on "J SPORTS" for Orix Buffaloes-Nippon-Ham game at Kyocera Dome on the 10th. She fulfilled her important role on the 45th birthday of Orix Buffaloes manager Mamoru Kishida, but the team suffered its sixth shutout game loss of the season. Her record for games she has commentated on is 1 win and 3 losses, and she smiled wryly, saying, "It's a shame I couldn't commentate on a winning game..."

Following his commentary on the same game on April 26th, this was his first commentary in two weeks. "It's in my nature as a Kansai person to be afraid of 'pauses,' and I have a habit of unconsciously filling those 'pauses' with words... (laughs)," he said, taking into account feedback from fans and senior commentators, and this time he made creating "pauses" his theme. In television broadcasts, which deliver images to viewers, it is important to have a balance between scenes described by voice and scenes shown visually. By deliberately creating periods of silence, he felt that "I think I was able to convey the atmosphere of the stadium much better than last time."

"There are more female commentators on other stations and even outside of professional baseball. Every time I do it, I think, 'I'm so glad I did this...'" she said, feeling that her beliefs and dedication are finally bearing fruit. Her next commentary is scheduled for July, and she smiled as she said, "standings will be important around this time, so I want to provide accurate descriptions. I really want to commentate on a winning game next time!" (Shunta Nanbu)