◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions Softbank Hawks (8th, Belluna Dome)

Seibu Lions came from behind to defeat Softbank Hawks and climb back up to second place. Trailing 0-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning with two outs and a runner on second base, first-round draft pick rookie catcher Taiga Kojima (22) hit a go-ahead two-run homer, his fifth of the season, to turn the game around.

Both teams were scoreless until the 6th inning. They conceded the first run in the top of the 7th, and in the bottom of the 7th, they had a chance with one out and a runner on second base but failed to score. Nevertheless, Kojima hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the 8th inning, rewarding his first appearance in the number 2 spot since April 26th.

Seibu Lions has been experimenting with different batting order almost daily. Despite being a 22-year-old rookie playing the demanding defense position of catcher, he started starting line-up as the "number 2 hitter and catcher" on this particular day.

Regarding the reason for placing him in the second spot in the batting order, manager Nishiguchi explained, "I put a batter who I thought could hit up in the lineup. That's all." He seemed to have sensed his good form and had a feeling about it during his at-Home Run leading up to hit run, including a line drive to the shortstop and a single to right field. "He had a good atmosphere throughout the at-bat today and was making good swings. I had a feeling he was going to do something. (His strength is) his decisiveness. He can swing hard from first baseman pitch. And today, he really seemed to be able to make his own swing, a strong swing, throughout the game. I think today was a truly meaningful game for him."

Kojima proudly stated, "I felt good during batting practice, so I think I was able to carry that into the game. I take batting very seriously, so I'm glad I was able to contribute with my hits. As catcher, I think it's important to get through the 9th inning with as few runs as possible, and I think I was able to do that in today's game."