◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 7-5 Nippon-Ham (May 5th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)

Softbank Hawks won a close game, reaching a magic of 37 for the championship. Yuki Matsumoto pitcher took the lead. He entered the 8th inning with the score 5-5, and from the center of the lineup including No. 4 Reyes, he recorded three consecutive look-and-run struck out. In the bottom of the inning, Isami Nomura infielder hit the game-winning two-run homer, giving Nippon-Ham a convincing victory.

By the second inning, they had built a four-run lead, but were caught up in the sixth inning. "No matter the game development, when facing the core of the line, you naturally put in the effort," said the reliable setup man, who caught the leadoff Narama with three pitches to gain momentum. Reyes and Gunji also kept their fastballs close to the clutch pitches. Reyes tied the season's fastest pitch at 157 km/h with a high outside pitch and scored struck out. "Mentally, I'm going with the mindset of about 160 km/h... But it just doesn't come out," he said with a smile. "I went to finish and tried to throw a ball that would swing and miss even if he came to swing," he said, marking the pitch he had intended.

They are in a dominant position, eight games ahead of second-place Seibu Lions. One of the reasons for this is the outstanding performance of their relief pitchers. Osuna in the 7th inning, Matsumoto Yu in the 8th, and Sugiyama in the 9th are a "winning pattern" in which manager Kokubo places immense trust. Matsumoto Yu, who is part of this pattern, shows his sense of responsibility by saying, "I want to make sure we don't lose games we can win. Since I've been trusted and given this responsibility, I want to continue to live up to those expectations until the very end." They will continue to give their opponents no openings and support win as they aim for a third consecutive league championship.