◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions Softbank Hawks (July 7th, Belluna Dome)

Softbank Hawks won a close race against second-place Seibu Lions, reducing their magic number for winning the championship to 35.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, with the score tied 1-1 and one out with runners on second and third base, pinch hitter Yanagimachi hit a deep two-run triple to left-center field to give his team the lead. This hit from the team's ace pinch hitter, who now has 5 hit in 6 at-At Bat this season, gave his team the lead.

Starting pitcher Haru Matsumoto pitched a strong game, allowing only one runs in seven innings, relying mainly on slider and fastball to get out of tough situations. Matsumoto Yu gave up one runs in the eighth inning, but Sugiyama closed out the game in the ninth. The gap between them and Seibu Lions widened to 8.5 games.