◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 6-1 Lotte (31st, ES CON FIELD)

He finished with a fastball as well. With two outs in the sixth inning, Nippon-Ham starter Kota Tatsu pitcher (22) raised Soto and swung struck out at 151 km/h. With a powerful fastball and fork as the core, he pitched a strong 9-strike out runs in 6 innings with 3 hit and no . "The tempo was off, but I was able to closer the key points I needed to closer, so that was good." He ended his five-game losing streak as a starter and earned his third win of the season since the game against Rakuten Eagles on April 21 at ESCON.

His experience as a reliever paid off. After failing to get results as a starter, he temporarily took on a relief role starting in June. "I was able to challenge myself with the mechanics of throwing fastballs. I think I gained the ability to pitch with brute force." His performance improved as the game went on, and he didn't face any major crises in the second half. "In situations where I felt I could do it, I was able to throw fastballs quite a bit. I think that's where my experience as a reliever came in handy." He also mentioned that he was getting more swings and misses with his fastball, which he hadn't been able to do during his losing streak as a starter, and he felt he was making progress.

It was mound that reaffirmed his love for being a starting pitcher. "Starting is fun. I want to stay on mound for a long time, so I realized that building a game from scratch is really enjoyable." He also overcame a different kind of pressure than that of a reliever. Although he had some adjustment appearances in the minor leagues, it was his first start in the major leagues in about two months. He pitched a runs and revealed his true feelings, saying, "I think I'll be able to sleep well tonight. I was quite anxious."

With a convincing victory in their first game of the second half of the season, the team has climbed to second place with four straight wins. Their lead over second place is now at a season-high 13 games, and Manager Shinjo praised the performance, saying, “I would have liked to see some aggressive pitching where we really went after them at least once—reliever—but we’ve kept the opponent scoreless—closer—so that’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?”“If we can maintain this momentum and push through the remaining two months, I think the team’s championship is within reach. I’ll do my best to contribute to the team as a starter.” Aiming for a come-from-behind victory, he’ll be working at full capacity as a starter in the second half of the season. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)