◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 1-2 Seibu Lions (October 10, ES CON FIELD)

With one swing, he completely changed the momentum of the game. Seibu Lions Lions outfielder Masayuki Kuwahara (32) hit a priceless home run that led to a come-from-behind victory. In the bottom of the 7th inning with one out and the score 0-1, he sent Ito's first pitch slider into the left-center field stands. This was his third home run of the season, his first in 34 games since the April 17th game against Nippon-Ham (at Escon Stadium), and it set the stage for Nevin's game-winning sacrifice sacrifice fly in the 8th inning. He had been in a terrible slump, going hitless in 26 consecutive at hit before this home run, so he apologized, saying, "I really caused a lot of trouble, and from now on I want to contribute to the team one step at a time."

Even when at rock bottom, he always looks forward. This seems to be Kuwahara's motto. "My stance just didn't feel right. It was pretty serious," he said, describing his extreme slump at the plate, but he didn't give up, saying, "Every day, I challenged myself thinking, 'Today's the day.'" As Hirasawa, who also transferred to the team, testified, "Kuwahara often encourages me even when I'm in a bad state. There are times when I'm saved by him," many of his teammates are grateful for the support of this "mood maker."

The team is currently on a massive road trip, covering approximately 6,000 kilometers in total, starting with a game against Softbank Hawks (at Mizuho PayPay Dome) in Fukuoka, after traveling from Tokyo on the 1st. The trip will take them through Kobe, Osaka, Okinawa, and Hokkaido before returning to Tokyo. It's easy to imagine the fatigue accumulating, but the gutsy player concluded with reassuring words: "There's no excuse for that. It's all about how we win the game in front of us." They averted the crisis of dropping to third place if they lost, closing the gap to two games behind the leading The Hawks. The man who experienced 24 years of underdog victories with DeNA is poised to re-accelerate the momentum of Seibu Lions Express. (Takeshi Nagai)