◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Softbank Hawks (16th -Rakuten Eagles Mobile is the strongest)

Rakuten Eagles came from behind to defeat Softbank Hawks, securing their third consecutive win.

In the 9th inning with a two-run lead, Kajiya gave up a run and was still in trouble with two outs bases loaded. In a difficult situation, Shibata came in to save the day and got Kondo to ground out on the third pitch to end the inning. Shibata saved the day and earned his first professional save. Rakuten Eagles closer Manager Hajime Miki praised Shibata, saying, "It was a difficult and tense situation, but Shibata went out there with his heart and soul like a true Shibata, and the result was double-whammy.

The manager also explained his decision to bring in the right-hander in a difficult situation. "pitch style is strong, and he's a positive and strong-willed player, so we all decided without hesitation to go with him today. He lived up to expectations. There are still things he needs to work on and challenges he has to overcome, but I want him to gain more experience, build confidence, and work even harder to become an even better pitcher. That's where his strengths really shone," he said excitedly.

Starting pitcher Kosa was a tenacious pitch. He scored the opening run and extended the score to two runs by the third inning. Still, from the fourth inning onward, he consolidated the runs into nothing. He threw 105 pitches over 6 inning for 7 hit 2 runs, and recorded his first win of the season in 6 strike out. The coach commented on Kosha, "I think we managed to put our team in scoring position with our own mistakes and somehow managed to closer the central center, which is something we worked hard for. But by persevering, it became Murabayashi's home run. Today, it was due to my own mistake, but when I close the gap in a pinch, even when I'm behind, the fielder can often turn around. In that sense, I think it was good that we closer with just 2 goals today. I expect more from him, so there were many good qualities he had, so I hope he will make use of them going forward," he expressed his hopes.