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

Softbank Hawks won a close game against second-place Seibu Lions, reducing their magic number for winning the championship to 35. outfielder Tatsuru Yanagimachi, who came in as a pinch hitter, hit the game-winning two-run triple in the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, with the score tied and one out with runners on second and third base, Yanagimachi stepped up to the plate. The Hawks' trump card swung hard at the second pitch from Moriwaki after a ball. He hit triple to left-center field, bringing in two runs, which ultimately proved to be the winning run.

After the game, Yanagimachi expressed his gratitude to Kawase and others, who had set him up for the sacrifice bunt in the previous hitter, saying, “It’s all thanks to everyone who set me up so I could just hit it far.”He keeps close to his heart the mindset for pinch-hitting shared by Yuya Hasegawa, the hitting and skills coach—who told him, “Since you only have one at-bat, you have to take the initiative”—and by Akira Nakamura infielder, who has announced his retirement from active play at the end of this season.With this, his pinch-hitting stats for the season stand at a .833 batting average and 6 RBI. He has become one of the key players driving the team’s charge to the top of the standings.