◆パ・リーグ　日本ハム―ソフトバンク（２０日・エスコンフィールド）

Nippon-Ham outfielder F. Reyes hit a two-run RBI double to left-center field with one out and doble on first and third in the third inning, giving Shinjo's Ham the lead. "In my first at-bat, I think the adrenaline was pumping after I got hit by a ball that I hit off myself, and I swung at a ball that I wouldn't normally chase, which made me frustrated with myself. I got a similar chance in my second at-bat, but I was able to stay calm and focus on avoiding a double play play. I'm glad I was able to hit the go-ahead RBI," he commented.

In the third inning, with the score tied 0-0, Imagawa and Kiyomiya Yuki hit consecutive singles with one out to put runners on first and third. Fourth batter Reyes then hit doble that struck the blue rubber at the very top of the left-center wall, bringing both runners home. There is a stadium rule that if a ball hits the fence in the front row of the stands, it is considered Home Run even if it bounces back onto ground. Manager Shinjo challenged the call regarding Reyes's hit, but the ruling was not overturned. The ball traveled 120 meters, just a few centimeters short of being Home Run.

With two outs and a runner on second base, Nomura, batting sixth, hit a timely single to left field, giving his team a 3-0 lead in the third inning against Maeda Yu, who had a 10-0 record this season.