◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Nippon-Ham (April 4th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Rakuten Eagles secured a decisive victory against Nippon-Ham, extending their winning streak to two games.

The offense came alive in the third inning, when both teams were scoreless. Walk and a hit put runners on first and hit with no outs. Nakajima was up to bat, and while a sacrifice bunt hitter was a possibility, manager Yoshii instructed him to hit. Nakajima lived up to expectations, hitting a timely doble down the right field line to score the first run. The manager was pleased, saying, "It was kind of a gut feeling (laughs). I had a feeling he would hit it, so I didn't bunt, and sometimes my gut feeling is right, so I'm glad."

The crucial additional run was scored through a clever play. In the 7th inning, with a two-run lead and one out with runners on first and third, Nakajima executed a safety squeeze. He rolled the ball perfectly towards first base, allowing Ota, runner on third, to score. "Nakajima did a great job with the safety squeeze, it really helped us out," he said excitedly.

On the pitching side, starting pitcher Kenta Maeda delivered a masterful pitch. He pitched a season-high 8 2/3 innings, allowing only one runs, to earn his second win of the season and impress with his complete recovery. Manager Yoshii praised Maeda's pitch, saying, "It was perfect." Although complete game win seemed within reach, he decided to replace him after he allowed one runs, explaining, "Given his record, I didn't want him to throw any extra inning or pitches. I also think (closer) Fujihira is motivated, so I made the change there."