◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 10-4 Lotte (12th, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

He knew it the moment he hit it. In the first inning, with a 2-2 count, Softbank Hawks 's Masaki swung hard at a long fastball. His 18th home run of the season, his second in two games, disappeared into the middle of the left-field stands. His fifth leadoff hitter run of the season tied the team record set by Makoto Sasaki (then with Daiei) in 1992. "I found out during the hero interview... I'm happy," he said with a smile.

Now in his fifth year as a professional, he's expanding his repertoire. In August, there were some matches where he realized he wasn't in top form, but he emphasized the importance of focusing on his right leg, saying, "There were times when I was just hitting with my hands, so I'm making sure to rotate my pivot foot properly and hit with my whole body." His role model is Kondo. "I overheard them talking about how to rotate your pivot foot at Belluna Dome..." He's already "confessed" this to Kondo, but he's diligently absorbed the techniques he learned from his senior, whom he's always looked up to.

The lineup, ignited by Masaki's swing, won convincingly with 11 hit 10 runs. With double-digit runs scored in two consecutive games for the tenth and second time this season, the momentum shows no signs of stopping, and the championship magic stands at 31. Leading the lead-in-the-run hitter, Manager Kokubo gave his confident endorsement, saying, "For now, I have no intention of changing it." The undisputed leadoff man is accelerating the march toward the championship. (Nobuo Moriguchi)