◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 9-1 Orix Buffaloes (August 2nd, ES CON FIELD)

The moment the ball made a resounding crack, an explosive roar of cheers enveloped the Escon stadium. As the ball flew into the left side of the backstop, outfielder Chusei Mannami (26) raised his right hand with a smile, while manager Shinjo in the dugout raised both index fingers to the sky. The cleanup hitter, who had come up to bat after the first three batters hit home runs in the first inning, responded to the heightened expectations with his 16th solo home run. Regarding the first-ever four consecutive Home Run from the first batter in the first inning in professional baseball history, Manami laughed and said, "I can't quite comprehend it. I'm happy to be a part of it, but it doesn't make any sense."

It was Mizutani who created the momentum. Leading off in the first inning with his team trailing by one run, he was in a tough spot but managed to scoop up fork from Orix Buffaloes starter Sato Ichi. He sent it to the left field bullpen for a game-tying solo home run, his fifth of the season. "It was good in the sense that it gave us momentum," he reflected. Mizuno followed with a go-ahead solo home run to right field off a fastball, his fifth of the season, and said excitedly, "Jesse (Mizutani) created the momentum, so I was able to ride it."

The previous record was three consecutive Home Run from the first inning. Up until Yakult in 2020, it had been five times in the past (four in the Celsius, one in the Pacific League). The game quickly dragged on repeatedly, and amid the murmur in the stands, Reyes followed with his 20th solo homer driving into the back screen. With a single home run, he said, "When Tatsuki (Mizuno) hit it, I was only aiming for home run," completing the sixth consecutive three-inning homer in history to take the lead in the first inning.

Manami’s home run marked the first time in baseball history, while the four consecutive home runs by four different players was a feat not seen in 40 years, since 1986. Even so, Manager Shinjo said,“There are five in a row, right? (Starting with hitter) That doesn’t matter at all. We have to set a record. Nomura-kun (batting fifth) also came close (with a fly ball to center field),” he said, adding, “Koshien had three in a row, but I think this four-homer streak will also be quite memorable.”The team’s 103 home runs lead all 12 teams by a wide margin. They’ve closed the gap to second-place Seibu Lions with no games separating them. With this historic home run barrage, they’re making a push for the top spot. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)

[Recording Memo]

▼... Nippon-Ham hit four consecutive Home Run in the first inning, starting with Mizutani, the leadoff hitter. While there have been five instances of three consecutive home runs from the leadoff Yakult' game against Hiroshima on September 20, 2020, this is the first time for four consecutive home runs.

▼...Four or more consecutive Home Run in a single inning is the sixth time in 40 years, the first being in 1971 when Toei (now Nippon-Ham) hit five consecutive home runs, and the third time in Yakult (three times in the Central League). Nippon-Ham was the first team to achieve this twice, including its predecessor teams.

▼… On the other hand, Hajime Sato (O)'s 1 inning 4 allowed Home Run is tied for the 17th professional baseball and 8th in the Pacific Round (9th in the Central) since Daiki Tojo (Ro) on April 7, 2019, who gave up 8 Softbank Hawks games. He also tied the record for four consecutive home runs given up by the fourth and the second in the Pacific (Central) to hit home runs in the fourth and second in the Pacific League.