◆パ・リーグ　日本ハム―ソフトバンク（１６日・エスコンフィールド）

Nippon-Ham 's infielder, Taiki Narama, hit a go-ahead solo home run to left field in the fifth inning, his fourth of the season.

Although they took the lead in the fourth inning with a timely single to left field by Gunji, they were caught out in the very next inning, the fifth, by a fielding error by Mizuno, and were tied by a timely single to left field by Kondo.

After hitting a perfect home run, Narama commented, "I hit cutter. Taku-san (Nakajima) contacted me and said, 'Good luck to the duckling team!' so I think I was able to live up to his expectations."

The "Mallard Duck Squad" is a nickname derived from the way the middle infielders line up and imitate Nakajima's routine, such as jumping before fielding practice. It's well-known among fans, and has even been made into merchandise, with Nakajima being the "mother duck."