◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 6-2 Nippon-Ham (14th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes 's Mune expressed his overwhelming joy. "A miracle happened!" In the 6th inning, trailing by one run with one out and a runner on second, he hit his 9th home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right field fence off Tatsumi, temporarily putting his team ahead. This tied his personal best, and in the 8th inning, with one out and a runner on second, he hit another game-winning two-run homer, his 10th of the season, over the right field fence off Hori. This was his first time hitting two home runs in a single game since October 1, 2018, against Rakuten Eagles (Rakuten Eagles Seimei Park). "I'm happy to have reached double digits," he said, delighted to have broken his career high.

This season, his 12th as a professional, his theme is "no excuses." On game days at Kyocera Dome, he stays behind for extra practice even after the night game ends. His training mainly consists of exercises to "condition his body," and he places particular importance on medicine ball throwing. He is often the last one left, and he is meticulous in his preparation, saying, "I use it to stimulate the parts of my body that I haven't been using that day."

Having won the first game against the third-place Nippon-Ham Fighters, who are in a playoff spot, they are now one game ahead and five games behind. "There isn't a single game we can afford to lose." They will continue to fight with renewed determination for the remaining 36 games. (Shunta Nanbu)