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

Rakuten Eagles Eagles pitcher Kenta Maeda (38) earned his first NPB win in 11 years. Starting against Seibu Lions (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), he delivered a masterful performance, runs only 3 hit and no strike out 6. In his 7th appearance of the season, he secured the long-awaited first win The Eagles, and was overcome with emotion on the victory podium. He pitched his longest inning of the season, throwing a season-high 114 pitches. He led his team to their first three-game sweep against the same opponent this season. What was the veteran right-hander's "professionalism" as told by Rakuten Eagles beat reporter Kota Miyauchi?

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It was the unwavering belief of Ken Maeda, who had fought his way through the harsh world of professional sports. It was June 19th. It was during a team meeting when the new manager, Yoshii, began his duties. Manager Yoshii called out, "Let's all act like professionals," and asked, "What does it mean to act like a professional?" The players each offered their own definitions of professionalism: "Self-awareness," "Playing with all your might," "Never giving up," and "Preparation." All of these were correct answers, and the kind of mindset that anyone on ground should have. The manager then pressed further, "Is there anyone who absolutely wants to say what they think?" "Can I?" Ken Maeda broke the silence.

"I think what everyone has said is right, absolutely right, but as professionals, I think winning is the most important thing. I think the most important thing is for everyone to be on the same page, working towards the same goal."

The weighty words "win" were something no one had uttered. "The person I spoke to earlier hadn't mentioned 'win,' so I thought I should say it," he said, raising his hand and deliberately uttering the words in front of his teammates.

When asked later about the true meaning behind his remarks at the meeting, Ken Maeda spoke passionately: "As professionals, we have to do everything we can to win. If the manager changes because we didn't win this season, that's the players' responsibility. Everything that was said there was correct. That includes preparing and fighting with all our might. But I believe that all of that is done in order to win. As professionals, everyone is working hard to win, and I think it's a world where you can't survive if you don't win." win is the ultimate goal of all actions. This was the professional philosophy of a veteran who has played in both Japan and the United States.

He earned a triumphant comeback with a superb performance, allowing only three hit no runs over seven innings. In Sendai, he eloquently demonstrated his pride. (Kota Miyauchi)