Pacific League: Seibu Lions 8-4 Rakuten Eagles (28th, Belluna Dome)

He had been waiting for this day, this moment. Hasegawa of the Seibu Lions, standing on the hero's podium, shouted, "I'm back!" In his first game back, he went on a tear with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored. "Being able to play baseball amidst such great cheering is something I'm truly grateful for," he said, savoring the joy.

He underwent surgery after fracturing his left hamate bone in a game against the Softbank Hawks on July 1st. "It felt like the bat was slipping out of my hands." After enduring steady rehabilitation from a state where he had almost no grip strength, he finally returned to the first team. With two outs in the first inning, he ignited the lineup with a hit to center field. Nevin followed with a hit to left field, and he crossed home plate for the opening run on An-Ko Lin's three-run homer. In the seventh inning, with the score narrowed to 5-4, he sealed the game with a two-run hit that stubbornly broke through between first and second base with two outs and the bases loaded.

Tonosaki and Takizawa have returned to the lineup, and Kuriyama has also joined the team for the retirement game against the Rakuten Eagles on the 30th. The team's mood is reaching its peak. Although they remain six games behind the league-leading Softbank Hawks, Hasegawa declared, "There are still five head-to-head matches left. If we win all five of those, we'll be in a position where anything could happen. I want to go out there with the intention of winning every game from here on." The Interleague MVP built momentum for a comeback victory. (Tsuyoshi Nagai)