◆ Despite being ejected from the previous game, he had two hit and one RBI today. "I want to focus on getting McCusker to hit; if we can do that, he'll come through."

Rakuten Eagles lost to Orix Buffaloes 1-3 on the 5th. Their first win of the second half of the season is still on hold, as they have suffered their sixth consecutive loss and their deficit has increased to 22 games.

On the Fuji TV ONE program "Pro baseball News 2026" aired on the 5th, attention was focused on McCusker, who had a great performance with 2 hit and 1 RBI. MC Yutaka Takagi pointed out, "He had an unfortunate ejection the other day, but he got 2 hit today. When McCusker is on the court, you get the feeling that the team has a lot of scoring power, so we want to focus on him." Commentator Kenji Tomashino agreed, "The key is how well we can get runner on base before McCusker comes up to bat." Takagi chuckled and said, "That's the point. If we can do that, I think McCusker will come through. If he doesn't get ejected, that is." He added, "So I hope they can rely on McCusker and do their best."

☆ Cooperation: Fuji TV ONE "Professional baseball News 2026"