◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 5-2 Rakuten Eagles (28th, Hotto Motto Kobe)

Orix Buffaloes Alen Kuri pitcher (34) pitched well in the game against Rakuten Eagles (Hotto Kobe), pitching 7 innings 5 hit 2 runs, earning his sixth win after a month. In the 7th inning, trailing by one run, Nishikawa turned the game around to right field for the grand slam of the third homer. During his time with Hiroshima, he scored the winning Grand Slam as the first professional by three years of his junior, who had played together for eight years. The FA duo excelled in both pitching and hitting. They ended the team's three-game losing streak.

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Nishikawa gracefully rounded the bases, and Kuri embraced him, sharing the joy. "I was genuinely happy. It was reassuring to see him hit it in that situation," Kuri said, raising his fist. He had held the opposing team to just two runs over seven innings, and the grand slam came when they were trailing by one run. It was a perfect hit.

He transferred from Hiroshima as a free agent in the 2024 offseason. He received the best possible support from a junior player who had been playing for Orix Buffaloes for a year longer than him. He hadn't won a game in four games since the May 26th game against DeNA (Yokohama). He was called to the podium as the hero of both pitching and hitting. The "former Carp duo" reunited for the first time since the June 27th game Rakuten Eagles (Kyocera Dome) in 2025. He expressed his sincere gratitude with a slightly embarrassed "Thank you!"

He also drew strength from the presence of his new "partner." Starting with the game Rakuten Eagles on May 12th (Hirosaki), he switched to a new model of game glove. He abandoned the two-finger pinky-slot style that he had used since 2021 when he won the most awards with Hiroshima, and also opted for a slightly smaller size. His main goal was to grip the ball more firmly with his left hand when pitch and to throw with higher power. "I wanted to create a glove that suited my body as it changes year by year. I'd rather try and fail than fail without trying..." He also provided the Xanax representative with detailed data such as the spin rate of his fastballs and the amount of movement of slider after each game. This unusual model change in the middle of the season boosted his evolution.

The team made their first win at Hotto Kobe, preventing three consecutive losses. On the second occasion, baseball experienced his first-ever nosebleed, but he showed toughness by saying, "I kept smoking without stopping." "I couldn't pitch until the end, so next time I want to throw with the thought, 'One more inning, one more inning!'" A starting rotation missing aces like Miyagi and Soya. The main pillar is 'Iron Arm Allen,' who possesses both a strong body and a strong mind. (Shunta Nanbu)