◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles 0-2 Orix Buffaloes (12th, Hirosaki)

Orix Buffaloes pitcher Alen Kuri (34) didn't seem to want to leave mound in Hirosaki, Aomori. "It would have been best if I could have finished the game... but I was helped by everyone on the team." He pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up 6 hit but no runs. He showed tenacity with 7 strike out in 121 pitches, and secured his third win of the season.

He ended his three-game losing streak on the road and achieved his first win in his fifth game at a regional ballpark, including his time with Hiroshima. Even in his 13th year as a professional, his willingness to put in the effort for baseball remains unchanged. Believing there was room for improvement in how he controls his body, he began training with an external trainer before the 2025 season. By learning a drill that involves rotating his body while carrying a water bag, he acquired a form that allows for smoother weight transfer.

"I want to answer everything they ask me," he said, and last offseason he took younger pitchers Soya and Tomiyama to a gym in Osaka, where the three of them practiced the same training. "I have no intention of holding anything back. I'll just keep practicing so I don't fall behind," he said, showing that growing together with his teammates is the way of the iron-armed pitcher. The team is currently leading the league with its fifth shutout game victory of the season. "I have to show them that I won't leave mound no matter what," he vowed to further improve under the night sky of Hirosaki. (Shunta Nanbu)