Pacific League: Seibu Lions 1-9 Nippon-Ham (26th, Belluna Dome)

He maintained a cool demeanor and held his ground on mound until the very end. Nippon-Ham 's Tatsu threw a career-high 131 pitches, allowing 6 hit 1 runs in 9 innings to earn his 4th win. He completed his first complete game of the season, strike out for the first time in a while, and said, "I'm relieved to have complete game after so long. Next time, I'll do my best to struck out out 27 batters." He said these confident words with a shy smile, typical of Tatsu.

There was a reason he wanted to pitch a complete game. After his scheduled start against Lotte on the 22nd (at ZOZO) was rained out, he entered the bullpen for the game on the 23rd to support the relief corps, who had been pitching in consecutive games. Just before returning to Sapporo on a flight around noon on the 24th, it was discovered that Takayuki Kato was feeling unwell, and his start for that day was decided on short notice. While there was a possibility of a bullpen day depending on the starting rotation if Tatsu hadn't started, he delivered a masterful complete game. 'I'm glad I could give the bullpen a rest,' said the 22-year-old, who saved the team.

The team snapped a three-game losing streak, narrowing the gap with second-place Seibu Lions to three games. "If I closer next week, the bullpen will run smoothly." He is on his way to becoming the best starter. (Haruki Kawakami)