◆パ・リーグ　ロッテ３―２日本ハム（２３日・ＺＯＺＯマリン）

Lotte recorded its first three-game winning streak in two months. Leading by one run in the ninth inning, Rikuto Yokoyama pitcher held off the opposition runs to record his 30th save, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to reach that milestone since Masuda in 2023.

mound He stood tall and roared. It was the ninth inning with two outs and runners on first and second. He finished off Imagawa with a swinging strike slider struck out. Upon reaching this milestone, he said, “I’m surprised by these numbers myself,” but immediately shifted his focus to the rest of the season, adding, “I still want to keep building on this.”

Manager Saburo said, "The ideal closer is one where the three of us can closer together more sharply than when we're nervous. We need him to become like Sasaki," and urged Saburo to grow into a closer on the level of the great demon Motohiro Sasaki, who recorded a combined 381 saves in Japan and the U.S.

"Next time, we'll do our best to have three of us close out the game," said Yokoyama. The manager's comments, in other words, are a sign of high expectations. His journey to becoming one of the league's top closers has just begun.