◇ Orix Buffaloes vs. Fukuoka Softbank 20th Round (30th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Fukuoka Softbank Akira Kawase hits timely in two consecutive games. On the 23rd, he attacked the starting runs pitch of the opposing starter, Ryuhei Sotani pitcher, who allowed two hit in the seventh inning.

In their previous matchup, they never stepped on second base. It was the second consecutive week of matchups, and in the top of the second, leadoff player Yudai Yamamoto hit a doble, creating a good opportunity for the second consecutive inning. When Kawase came to bat, he skillfully drew in slider, the pitch that became the finishing pitch from full count, and swung it. The hit over short stop 's head gave him a valuable lead.

Kawase responded with a bat to the starting line-up for the second consecutive game. With this, he has shown his clutch performance with a scoring position of 37 At Bat 15 hit and a batting average of .405. Although August has been sluggish so far with a 38 At Bat 8 hit, can he continue to contribute to a team fighting for the championship?

*Kawase's stats are as of the end of his first at-bat.

◇ Comment from Player Kawase
"The one who hit was slider. With no outs runner a chance at second base, I was thinking about getting runner on base as much as possible. It turned into a timely hit with a hit, but we had to lead and hit the team in batting. In the end, we were able to score the first run, but I want to thoroughly do what I can and what I need to do to turn it into a win."

Text by Ao Yokoyama