◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 4-0 Lotte (23rd, ES CON FIELD)

After the first inning's attack, Nippon-Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) left the dugout. He completely shuffled outfield outfielders in the top of the second inning. In the first inning, against Lotte's Ogawa and Tomosugi, who were batting first and second, he had Yazawa, who has a wide defense range, play in front of center field. He explained, "Ogawa was in good form, so I brought Yazawa really far forward. When Ogawa was the leadoff hitter, I was thinking of moving Yazawa back to center fielder."

They suffered heavy defeats against Softbank Hawks on the 20th and 21st (at Escon Stadium). There were many mistakes, and "they couldn't advance runners with hits, runner couldn't get to the next base, there were errors, and the flow of the game wasn't good, so we decided to change the starting starting line-up." They removed key players such as Manami and Mizutani from the lineup.

But it didn't end there. In the sixth inning, Manami was brought in as a pinch hitter for Nomura, who had struck out in two at-bats. In the seventh inning, Mizutani was sent in as a pinch hitter for cleanup hitter Kiyomiya Yuki, who had gone hit. "It's about fostering a sense of competition. Not just for fielder, but pitcher as well, it's about getting them to think about desperately trying to reclaim their positions once more," he explained.

In the seventh inning, with no outs and runners on first and third, Mizuno executed a successful safety squeeze, demonstrating his excellent management skills. This ended the losing streak and restored the team's lead to seven games above .500. The manager is creating an upward momentum with his own baton. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)