◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Lotte 3X-2 DeNA (June 12, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte's starting pitcher Koshiro Hiroike, delivered a masterful performance, pitching a career-high eight innings and allowing only two runs, setting the stage for their second consecutive walk-off victory and bringing them back to a .500 winning percentage for the first time since April 4th. In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on second and third base, Daito Yamamoto hit a single to right field to seal the win. Having lost all five previous games in this crucial situation to erase their deficit, they finally achieved their long-awaited win on their sixth attempt. After the game, Yamamoto exploded with joy in his post-game hero interview, shouting, "Yeahhhh!!"

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the score tied and two outs, runners on second and third base, he hit an outside fastball straight to the opposite field on a 1-0 count, sending the ball through the gap between first and second base. After two consecutive dramatic wins for the first time in two years since 2012, he was ecstatic, saying, "I hit it thinking I would be the hero here. I don't even know what's going on!" He was basking in the afterglow of his first-ever walk-off hit, which he had seized in a frenzy.

So far this season, his batting average has been sluggish at around .100, and he has only managed one Home Run. He has been going through frustrating days, and he candidly expressed his feelings, saying, "Personally, I haven't been getting good results, and it's really tough." Nevertheless, he expressed a sense of fulfillment with the hit that brought him back to a .500 batting average, saying, "I haven't been able to contribute to the team, so I'm really glad that I was able to get a hit in a situation like this. I was able to create a good opportunity."

Manager Saburo praised the 23-year-old slugger's efforts, saying, "I think (Yamamoto) should be a player who is in the starting line-up as a right fielder. But professional baseball isn't that easy. This is essentially his second year in the first team, and he's been struggling and struggling to overcome the wall of the first team, and he hasn't been getting results, but I'm happy that he was able to get a hit in a situation like this, and I'm happy too."