◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 2-4 Softbank Hawks (14th, ES CON FIELD)

Two of Softbank Hawks 's proud "Keio Three Brothers" were in action. In the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied and one out with runners on first and second, the "eldest brother," Yanagimachi, came in as a pinch doble Shimamoto, who has an ERA of less than 1.00, saying, "I'm going to decide it here." With the ERA still bases loaded and one out, the "second brother," Masaki, said, "I wasn't aiming for hit, I just wanted to make contact and get it forward," and hit a two-run RBI single to left field. They scored three runs in one inning to decide the game.

He formed a popular trio with Takashi Hirose, the "third son," who didn't get a chance to play that day. Masaki had a great game in the fifth inning with two outs, getting four hit and three RBI, including a solo home run to give his team the lead. Yanagimachi, who now has four At Bat five hit as a pinch hitter this season, said, "Masaki hit Home Run, and (Nippon-Ham hit Gunji also got three hits. I worked hard because I thought they might surpass my batting average (laughs)," showing that he was motivated by the success of his university classmate and "younger brother."

The team became the first of the 12 teams to reach 50 wins. Their lead in the standings also increased to a season-high of 19. Manager Kokubo praised Tatsuya (Yanagimachi), who was named to last season's Pacific League Best Nine, saying, "He hit really well." These reliable Keio University graduates will continue to support the team's solidification for first place. (Tosei Moriguchi)