◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Nippon-Ham (May 5th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Nippon-Ham pitcher Taisei Yanagawa (22) rejoined the first team on the 5th. He pitched in the 8th inning as the fifth reliever, giving up no runs in one inning and striking out two strike out. He had already accumulated 19 saves and had been the team's closer since the start of the season, but he showed signs of fatigue, giving up 5 runs in 4 games since mid-June. Manager Shinjo removed him from the roster on June 25th, giving him a "refreshment break," saying he wanted him to "refresh himself mentally." After making adjustment appearances with the second team, he was registered with the team from this day.

He joined the Sendai first team via a different route than usual. On the 4th, he pitched in a game against the DeNA second team held in Hakodate. He posted the following results: 1st inning—1 hit 0 runs; 2nd inning—strike out—and was promoted to the first team. Yanagawa, who traveled from Hakodate to Sendai by Shinkansen, said, “The trip took about two and a half hours.“Although it was the shortest possible period (10 days), I was able to rest thoroughly and work on the things I wanted to do and improve, so I’m glad,” he said.

While refreshing himself, he also checked his form. "I'd been pitching a lot, so I realized there were some deviations in my form without me noticing. I was able to check them properly," he nodded. Regarding fatigue, he said, "I think I was able to relax. Physically I didn't feel it myself, but when I looked at my form, I could see that fatigue was showing." He's back in shape and ready to take on the competition.

Of course, he aims to make a comeback as the closer himself. During the suspension period, there were games where his peers played closer, but he said, "It's amazing how easy it looks closer. It's not just you—when other pitcher pitch in the ninth, it's frustrating that I want to pitch myself." He regained his true form during early summer vacation and once again showcased the pitch worthy of being the closer. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)