Pacific League: Nippon-Ham 9-7 Lotte (29th, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham won their third straight game on the 29th after a fierce battle against Lotte. Their savings tied for the highest at 13. Yuma Imagawa outfielder (29), who played starting line-up as the sixth batter and left fielder, hit a three-run homer over left field in the fifth inning to take the lead again. With a determined home run dedicated to his family who came to watch, he decided the game.

When the ball flew into the left-field bullpen, he let out a roar and pointed to his family in the first-base stands. It was a game-winning three-run home run in the fifth inning with one out and runners on second and third, caught off a slider from Lotte's second pitcher, Ono. "It was the kind of hit I've rarely even had in the farm team," he recalled with a smile. This was his first appearance in the starting line-up since the 21st. "The thought that I might be sent back to Kamagaya if I didn't make an impact in my first start in a while was in the back of my mind. I just have to make up my mind and stand in the batter's box with everything I've got," he said with a nod.

He responded to his family's cheers. Actually, on the 28th, they had planned to watch the game, expecting him to be in the starting line-up. However, he was left out of the starting line-up, and since it was a night game, they changed their plans. On this day, they were visiting to watch a game for the third time this year. On the hero's podium, he raised his voice and said, 'My wife and daughter came to see me today. I've been in Kamagaya for a long time and we haven't been able to see each other, but I was finally able to show them my good side as a dad. Let's win the championship so I can show all the fans what a cool dad I am!'

Ono, the man he hit a home run against, is the same age as him. In fact, starting pitcher Jackson, who drew two Walk is also the same age as him in Japan. "I've always wanted to beat my classmates one by one since turning pro. I'm the last one to join the team," he revealed, sharing his hidden ambition. Now in his sixth year as a pro after playing in college and the corporate league, this late-blooming slugger is shining brightly in the final stages of the season. (Yasushi Yamaguchi)