◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 2-6 Softbank Hawks (16th, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham was tied in the seventh when the ace Hiromi Ito pitcher was caught, and the leadoff hit hit three consecutive hits made it two runs. Uehara, who replaced him, also gave up Kurihara's 27th two-run homer, and the game was sealed with four runs in one go.

Having lost more games against SoftBank than they won this season, their record against Softbank Hawks is 2 wins and 12 losses. Manager Shinjo calmly stated, "Well, the first half of Softbank Hawks series is over, so I believe that everyone will be free from their paralysis and return to their normal selves. We intend to win all the remaining games."

This season began with three straight losses in the opening three-game series, and they suffered eight consecutive losses against Softbank Hawks to start the season. Although they got their second win in the game on the 15th, they gave up three runs in the ninth inning after leading by four runs, and he shook his head at their poor record against them, saying, "I wonder if I get stiff, or if I get paralyzed."

Regarding Ito, he said, "I wanted Ito to hold on in the 7th inning. If he had shifted gears one more time and come back without giving up a run, the game might still have been decided. I had the feeling that Ito would be closer. I think he's the one who's most disappointed."