◆Pacific League: Seibu Lions 3-3 Nippon-Ham (12th, Belluna Dome, 12 extra innings)

A volatile situation broke out in a game that ended in a draw after 12 extra innings.

In the 5th inning with two outs and a runner on first, and the Seibu Lions leading by two runs, Nippon-Ham's Hiromi Ito threw his third pitch from a 1-1 count, after which Ito ended up in a standoff with the Seibu Lions' third base coach, Tetsushi Kuroda, who is the infield defense and base running coach. Players from both teams rushed toward the mound, leaving the stadium in an uproar.

The situation was brought under control after about five minutes. Boos echoed from the stands, creating a strange atmosphere.

After the match, Ito expressed that he had been concerned about Coach Kuroda's movements for some time, saying, 'I was bothered by it, including the gestures. It wasn't just today.' He continued, 'It's probably just a habit. A habit in his movement, but it happened to link up with my pitch types a bit. I spoke up because it bothered me. I don't know what was actually going on. However, if I feel uncomfortable, I thought it was better to convey that. I don't know what kind of signal it was, but I just felt a bit unpleasant about it.'

Furthermore, he expressed his disapproval regarding movements that suggested sign-stealing, stating, "Of course, it's better for everyone to play without any mutual suspicion, and if there are any misleading movements, I would like them to stop. If they really aren't doing anything, then that's that. Both sides should be in a clean state. Since it caught my attention, I felt it was better to speak up."