◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Seibu Lions (25th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Rakuten Eagles Eagles pitcher Kenta Maeda earned his long-awaited first win of the season with a superb performance, allowing only three hit no runs over seven innings. It was his seventh appearance on the mound. With tears in his eyes, he stood on the victory platform and said, "I've been getting so much support from the fans, but I just couldn't get a win. Today has become a very important day for me."

Ken Maeda got off to a strong start from the very first inning. He got the leadoff canario out with a 151 km/h fastball to fly to right, and with two outs, he swung Hasegawa at splitter struck out. It started with no runs.

Twice, he was hit by a left-front hit from Nevin, who led the team, but remained unfazed. He calmly took down the trailing runners. strike Took the lead and didn't allow a single runner in the 3rd to 5th innings. He inning the longest pitch of the season with a record 114 pitches, totaling just 3 hit pitch. He also delivered a series of excellent fielding.

He expressed his feelings about win, which he had finally achieved after struggling and suffering. "It took a long time to get to this point and get a win. I felt frustrated that I couldn't contribute to the team and annoyed that I couldn't win. Of course, that was the case on the days I was pitching, but I also spent my days off feeling that way. It's only one win so far, so I can't be overjoyed, but I'm really glad," he said, putting his feelings into words.

This was his first win in NPB in 3,919 days, since his game against Chunichi Dragons on October 2, 2015 (at Mazda Stadium). He secured the long-awaited win with a masterful pitch.

When asked about the moment he teared up during a post-game press conference, he smiled shyly and said, "It's humid today, you know. I'm sweating." There's no doubt that the support he received during difficult times was what gave him the strength to make a comeback. "Since coming to Tohoku, I've felt frustrated that I haven't been able to contribute much despite receiving so much support, and I felt really sorry about it, but every time I pitched, from the first warm-up throws onwards, I received so much support, so I've always wanted to do something to repay that. And today, I was able to get my first win at home like this, so I'm really glad," he revealed, explaining the true meaning behind his tears.

The team has won three games in a row. As they begin to gain momentum, a reliable veteran player shone brightly.