◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Rakuten vs. Orix Buffaloes (15th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Rakuten Eagles 's pitcher Kenta Maeda started the game against Orix Buffaloes.

He started off well, getting outs at a good pace. He retired Nakagawa, a junior from PL Gakuen, with a fly closer to center field in the first inning, and didn't allow any runs. He got off to a good start.

However, in the third inning, they were leading by one run. With two aggressive hit, they put runners on first and third with no outs, and runs with a safety squeeze (record sacrifice bunt fielder’s choice). Then, with one out and bases loaded, Yamanaka allowed a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the team the lead.

The right-handed pitcher, returning to NPB after 11 years, had a record of 2 wins and 3 losses with ERA of 2.97 in 8 appearances prior to the game. He had been struggling since the start of the season, but recently he has regained pitch and is on a two-game winning streak. A win in this game would mark his 100th career win in NPB.