◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 9-2 Rakuten Eagles (November 11, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Softbank Hawks secured a decisive victory with a powerful offensive outburst of seven runs in the first inning. After the game, manager Kokubo commented on the play in the third inning when Kurihara fielded Murabayashi's ground ball to third base with one out and runners on first and second.

Ozeki, who started the game, was making his first appearance in about a month since the game against DeNA on June 5th (Yokohama). He received plenty of run support in the first inning, but in the second inning he gave up a solo home run to the in-form McCusker. He continued pitch with patience.

They gave up a run in the third inning, and with one out and runners on first and second, Kurihara fielded Murabayashi’s grounder to third, stepped on third base, and started heading back to the dugout. He had mistakenly thought the runner was out count, and Manager Kokubo looked stern from the dugout. The manager harshly pointed out, “It was full of holes. It was a mistake, no matter how you look at it.”At the plate, he has also been struggling, going hit for 15 consecutive at-bats over three games since the match against Orix Buffaloes on the 7th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). “I thought things might improve after hitting three hits in the Orix Buffaloes game… but it’s still not quite there. However, even when I’m not hitting, fans and teammates are watching me as a key player. I just have to keep performing the same way,” he said, calling for the kind of performance befitting a star player.