◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles 8X-7 Seibu Lions (22nd, Tokyo Dome) =12 extra inning =

Rakuten won walk-off Seibu Lions with Rakuten Eagles victory, ending their five-game losing streak. New manager Masato Yoshii earned his first win in his third game in charge.

It was a fierce battle. Trailing by one run in the ninth inning, they tied the game and forced it into extra inning innings. In the eleventh inning, extra inning by one run, Asamura hit a game-tying solo home run. In the twelfth extra inning, with two outs and a runner on second, Kurokawa hit a timely double to left field for a dramatic win. After the long-awaited win, manager Yoshii praised his players, saying, "I think everyone really did their best. They fought tenaciously." This was the team's first comeback victory from a three-run deficit this season.

Kurokawa, who had delivered the game-winning hit, grounded out to walk-off extra inning in the bottom of the 10th inning with one out and runners on first and third, a chance to win the game. He didn't repeat the same out. The manager nodded and said, "In the previous walk-off, when he could have hit a fly ball to infield outfield, but he got another chance, and he learned from his mistake and hit line drive, so I want to commend him for that."

The bullpen, which features many young players, managed to hold on, and Nakagome—in his second year, who pitched 12 innings without allowing a run runs closer—recorded his first professional save win. In the end, the fielder rallying.Manager Yoshii said with a spring in his voice, “That was great. Aside from Fujihira, everyone was nervous, weren’t they? But the others fielder covered for his mistake and helped us bounce back. Young players won’t develop unless they perform to their full potential under pressure. In that sense, today felt like the team pitcher helped nurture our young players. It was a very meaningful game.”