◆ Pacific League vs. Softbank Hawks (27th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Softbank Hawks 's Kensuke Kondo hit a single to right field off Mori with one out and a runner on first in the first inning, achieving his 1,500th career hit, becoming the 140th hit in professional baseball to reach this milestone. "I'm glad I was able to achieve this in my hometown of Chiba. However, I still consider this number to be just a stepping stone. From now on, I want to aim higher, pursue a higher level of hitting, and get many more hits," he said, proudly holding up the commemorative board on the base.

He is producing hits at a pace exceeding his 1,473 games played. His seven-year contract with the Softbank Hawks remains until 2029. He just turned 33 on the 9th of this month. If things go smoothly, the 2,000-hit milestone will be in sight by 2029, the final year of his contract. With a career batting average of .3066 (as of August 26) over 4,000 At Bats, he is a historic average hitter ranking 12th all-time. In his third at-bat with no outs in the fifth inning, he already notched his 1,501st hit with a single to center field.