◆パ・リーグ　ロッテ３―２日本ハム（２３日・ＺＯＺＯマリン）

Nippon-Ham lost a close game against Lotte on the 23rd, extending their losing streak. The gap between them and second-place Seibu Lions won the game, widened to three games. outfielder Yuma Imagawa (29) was brought in as a pinch hitter in the 7th inning with two outs and a hit on first base, and he lived up to expectations with a single to left field. It didn't result in a run, but in his third pinch-hitting appearance of the season, he went 3-At Bat hit 3 with two Home Run and five RBI, maintaining a perfect pinch-hitting success rate of 100%. With less than 30 games remaining, the final stretch of the season is tough, but Imagawa's bat is making its presence felt.

With sharpened concentration, Imagawa swung the bat with precision. line drive drive bounced in front of left field. In the bottom of the 7th inning, with two outs and a runner on first, trailing by one run, Imagawa came up to pinch-hit for Hosokawa and hit the second pitch from Lotte's second pitcher, Nakamori, a high 150 km/h fastball. After the left-field hit that extended the scoring opportunity, he raised his index finger high towards the third base dugout on first base in a gesture of determination.

He's responding to pinch-hitting opportunities with godlike clutch hitting. This is his third time being used as a pinch hitter since being promoted to the first team for the first time this season on the 14th. His pinch-hitting record is 3 At Bat 3 hit, 2 Home Run RBI boasting a 100% success rate. His experience in the minor leagues is paying off. "I didn't think of myself as being good at pinch-hitting, but in the last year or two, Inaba-san (the minor league manager) has often used me as a pinch hitter in the farm league," he revealed. What he values most is "getting results as a pinch hitter, which means being asked to be 1 out of 1. It's very difficult, so I try to think of it as 'it's okay if I can just get the ball forward,' and 'never getting jammed by a fastball.'" Following the "secrets" he's mastered, he pulled the fastball and sent it flying to outfield.

Unable to keep up with their determination, the team lost back-to-back to Lotte. In his second at-bat in the ninth with two outs and runners on first and second, he fell to a swinging struck out and looked up to the heavens. Manager Shinjo expressed his hopes, saying, "He had a good moment at the end, but Imagawa-kun. Don't become the guy who grabs stars with a big shot there." The DM from the manager upon promotion was, "Show me your foolish power in a fire." With 27 games remaining, they are 8.5 games behind the leader, and both second place are 3 games behind. Even in a tough battle, they continue to show their "foolish power" that can turn the tide.