◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 0-5 Softbank Hawks (9th, Belluna Dome)

It was a masterful pitching performance that even exuded a sense of class. Softbank Hawks pitcher Yugo Maeda threw 102 pitches over seven innings, allowing only four hit and no runs. At 21 years and 0 months old, he became the second youngest player in history to achieve 10 consecutive wins to start the season, tying him for the league lead in win. It was also his first time reaching double-digit win. Nevertheless, he said, "I'm happy, but the season isn't over yet. I want to keep adding to my record," looking ahead to his next victory.

Even as he reaches his peak, he doesn't lose sight of long-term growth. He trains with Okamoto S&C (Strings & Conditioning) and does weight training four times a week. This has been going on since May when he started pitching as a starter in the first team, and although he sometimes complains, "Today was tough...", he pushes himself even after games he pitches.

The numbers also reflect this. In his last two starts, his fastest pitch in the innings before being taken out was in the mid-140s km/h. He was also fatigued from being in the starting rotation for the first time, but he also worked on training to improve the range of motion around his chest. "I was able to generate power, and I was able to show what I had prepared," he said, and on this day, he still clocked a top speed of 149 km/h in the seventh inning. His diverse breaking ball was more effective than ever.

After the offense failed to score with the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning, closer the side in order, giving the opponent no chance. The magic number for winning the championship has been reduced to 33, and manager Kokubo bowed deeply, saying, "Today's victory is all thanks to (Maeda) Yugo." They will continue their momentum and keep climbing higher and higher. (Moriguchi Tokio)