Pacific League: Lotte 0-9 Softbank Hawks (25th, ZOZO Marine)

Softbank Hawks' Moinelo has finally made a complete comeback. He pitched nine innings with three hits for his first shutout game of the season. Improving to 3-0, he showed off his fluent Japanese during the hero interview.

Before coming in, his teammates scored five runs in a big inning. He received a massive nine-run run run and smoothly hit zeros. In the ninth, with two outs and runners on first and second, he flew out to shortstop Ogawa. He was shut out after 115 pitches. Manager Kokubo said, "If it hadn't ended there, I would have replaced him. It just happened to end with that hitter," said Manager Kokubo. The pitch count set for that day was 110, but it was actually a shutout game drama that came in a sliding game.

While his fastball topped out at 150 km/h, he kept hitters guessing with a wide variety of breaking balls, including cutters, curves, sliders, change-ups, and sweepers. "I throw something different every game, depending on how I feel," he said. He freely manipulates the break of his slider with every appearance, making it impossible for opponents to adjust their strategy in time.

After participating in the WBC in March as a member of the Cuban national team, he was not in top physical condition. However, since his first-team debut on August 11, he has shown unrivaled dominance. In three games across 21 inning, he has allowed just 1 runs, resulting in an ERA of 0.43. "I was waiting for him to reach a condition where he could pitch like this. I hope he stays healthy until the end," said the manager, expressing his immense trust. The magic number for the championship is 23. As long as they have an ace with such outstanding stability, the path to a third consecutive league title will remain unshakable. (Koichiro Shimao)