◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles 8-4 Seibu Lions (23rd, Yamagata City)

Rakuten Eagles came from behind to win, securing their second consecutive victory. This is the first consecutive win since new manager Masato Yoshii took office. After defeating league leaders Seibu Lions, Manager Yoshii nodded and said, "In order to liven up Pacific League we have to beat the top teams. I think baseball fans will be happy, so we will do our best to achieve that."

The lineup averaged 10 hit and scored 8 runs. Despite the tough battles of starting pitcher Takinaka, he managed to hold the ball in the sixth inning with two runs, fulfilling his role as the starting pitcher.

What the coach praised was Sato's defense in the first inning. In the first inning, with one out and a runner on first, Hasegawa hit a hit to right, and Takizawa on first runner aimed to advance to third. right fielder Sato charged the ball hard and bounce throw to third base. He took Takizawa out with a good throw. Manager Yoshii praised Sato's strong defense and Takinaka's tenacity, saying, "In the first inning, Sato hit him to third base. If that had been a safe move, it would have been a knockout, but with many balls being caught, I think Takinaka worked hard through the sixth inning."