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

Rakuten Eagles came from behind to defeat Orix Buffaloes.

Rakuten Eagles 's starting mound was Kenta Maeda. The right-hander, aiming for his 100th career win in NPB, got off to a good start, closer batters at a good tempo. He retired Nakagawa, a junior from PL Gakuen High School, with a fly ball to center field in the first inning, and kept runs at 0-0. 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 batting lineup, eager to support the veterans, changed the game with a single swing. In the third inning with two outs and trailing by one run, Tatsumi hit a solo home run to left-center field. His eighth home run of the season, his second in as many games, tied the game.

An accident occurred in the fifth inning. line drive from the leadoff batter, Kida, hit him directly in the neck area. He briefly went to the dugout for treatment but returned to mound. Maeda Ken continued to pitch strongly, giving up only four hit two runs in seven innings. He left the game with the score tied, and therefore did not receive a win or loss.

The game went into the final innings tied. In the 8th inning, with one out and a runner on third base, McCusker hit a go-ahead RBI single to left field. In the 9th inning, Fujihira faced a jam with two outs and runners on first and second base, but he managed to shut down the subsequent batters.