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

On the 5th, Nippon-Ham came from behind to win Rakuten Eagles (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), ending his two-game losing streak. Yuki Nomura infielder (26), who started as the sixth batter and left fielder, hit his 10th home run and a two-run homer in his second at-bat in the fourth inning with one out and a runner on second in the 4th inning, trailing 1-3. This marked his second double-digit Home Run in a season, the first time since 2023, when he hit a personal best of 13 home runs.

The white ball soared high into the air and landed in the left-field stands. The opportunity arose from Gunji's doble, and he pulled a 145 km/h two-seam two seam fastball on the inside corner from Rakuten Eagles 's starting pitcher, Contreras. It was a perfect hit, traveling 125 meters, but he humbly commented, "It just felt like I connected well. I was only focused on getting on base for the next batter. I'm happy it worked out well."

He's steadily building up his stats, one by one, towards a career high. In 2023, he played in 125 games and recorded a batting average of .236 and 13 Home Run, but in 2024 he only managed 2, and in 2025 8, failing to improve his numbers. This season, he's also tried playing second base, and has started at various positions including first base, third base, right field, and left field. He's seized the opportunities given to him, achieving double-digit Home Run for the first time in three years. "I'm happy, but for now I'm just glad that it went well," he said, looking ahead without becoming complacent.

On the 3rd, Gunji, who had been struggling, rejoined the first team after readjusting. He faces many rivals among the in-form right-handed hitter, including Yoshida, Mizutani, and Castro. "If I don't hit, I won't be able to play in games, so I want to do my best." He aims to make his presence felt at the plate and pave his way to becoming a regular player.