◇ Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Game 6 (16th, Zozo Marine Stadium)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters player Kota Yazawa hit a game-tying solo home run, his second of the season.

He started the game as the number 8 batter and center fielder. In the top of the 4th inning, with two outs and no runner on base, he stepped up to the plate for his second at-bat and swung hard at a fastball that came right down the middle from Chiba Lotte Marines 's starting pitcher, Yuto Kimura. The ball arced beautifully and landed in the right field stands. This home run tied the game immediately, as starting pitcher Haruki Hosono had given up three runs in the previous inning.

Yazawa has been focusing on outfielder since last season. He had been struggling this season with a batting average of .143 (as of before the game), but he did show some promise by hitting a hitter Home Run in the game against Fukuoka Softbank on the 11th.

Text by Seiichi Nakagawa