◆ Pacific League Rakuten Eagles Softbank Hawks (August 2nd, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Rakuten Eagles Ryuya Taira infielder has released his ninth solo single, his first in about two months.

The familiar feeling spread through his hands. In the third inning, with both teams scoreless, Taira connected with Maeda Yu's low, inside fastball and sent it to left-center field. It was his first home run in two months, since June 2nd. He hit a perfect shot off the undefeated left-handed pitcher this season.

This season, he seized his opportunity from late April and produced a lot of Home Run. However, since June, he hasn't been able to showcase his characteristic hitting prowess. Recently, he's been starting more and more games on the bench. "I was thinking too much about 'I have to do this' and 'I have to do this in this situation' during games. That was actually working against me," he reflects.

As he heads into the second half of the season, he's returning to his roots. "There were many times when I almost forgot my strengths and what makes me unique, so I went into the second half of the season with the intention of going back to basics and thinking about what I'm good at again. I'm glad I was able to hit it." This home run came after overcoming a difficult period. The hard-working player who had a breakout season this year has once again fired the signal for his rise to prominence.