◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles: Rakuten vs. Lotte (August 1st, Koriyama)

Lotte's Toshiya Sato catcher (28) started as the cleanup hitter catcher and played in the game starting line-up. In his second at-bat in the third inning—with the score tied at 0-0, two outs, and a runner on first—he hit his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field off Rakuten Eagles 's starting right-hander Takinaka, marking his second consecutive game with a home run to give his team the lead.

He hails from Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, and after attending Seikogakuin High School and Toyo University, he joined the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2019 as the second overall pick in the draft. He hit a home run in his first professional game in Koriyama. On June 30, he said, "I have good memories and bad memories of Koriyama. I hope it will become a good memory," and now he has hit a home run that he will never forget.