◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 5-1 Orix Buffaloes (August 2nd, Belluna Dome)

outfielder Wakabayashi, who was traded from The Giants to Seibu Lions, recorded his first hit since the trade on the 2nd.

He started for the second consecutive game as the "number 9 hitter and center fielder." In the fifth inning with one out and hit on second base, trailing by one run, he connected with a 150 km/h fastball from opposing starter Takashima for a single to right field, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I'm relieved to have gotten a hit. Whether I get a hit or not makes a big difference in how I feel." After that, with the bases bases loaded and one out, he scored the go-ahead run as the runner on second doble on Hiruma's two-run ground-rule double.

In the fourth inning, he made a spectacular diving catch on a deep fly ball to left-center field, turning it into a fly ball to center field. However, he vowed to perform even better, saying, "But I still haven't been able to get that one crucial hit with runners in scoring position. I'm getting used to it little by little, but I want to work on that a bit more."