◇ Tohoku Rakuten Eagles vs Fukuoka Softbank 17th Round (2nd, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

​Ryuya Taira player from Tohoku Rakuten Eagles hit his ninth solo home run in his first at-bat of the second half.

Taira was the starting line-up batter in the seventh batter left fielder. In the top of the third, Tatsuki Koja pitcher retired three consecutive struck out batters to create momentum, and in the bottom of the inning, he entered the bat as the leadoff hitter. Despite being down count-0-2 against the opposing starter Yugo Maeda pitcher, he caught the fastball on the third pitch, which came in sweetly. The ball hit landed in the left-center stands. With a strong pitcher riding the momentum of eight consecutive wins, he scored a valuable first run.

Taira responded instantly to his first starting pitcher since the July 25 game against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Home Run was his first in two months since the June 2 game against Yokohama DeNA. Having blossomed his power this season with 8 Home Run in 38 games since the season opener, he hopes to improve his form again.

◇ Comment from Player Taira
"The one who hit was fastball. I swung the ball I could hit with all my might. I'm glad it reached the stands (with a smile)."

Text by Ao Yokoyama