◇ Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Orix Buffaloes, Game 14 (12th · Zozo Marine Stadium)

Chiba Lotte Marines In Kyuto Ueda player hit a go-ahead RBI single.

Trailing by one run after the first inning, the team came to bat in the bottom of the second. The leadoff Koki Yamaguchi player and Toshiya Sato hit back-to-back hits, and the next Ryusei Terachi player worked the count and drew a walk Walk. With no outs and runners on second and third bases loaded, Ueda stepped to the plate and, on the very first pitch—an outside pitch—center fielder, drove the ball back to center field, bringing both runners home and giving his team the lead.

The previous day, he entered the game as a pinch hitter from defense and hit a two-run homer—his fourth of the season—in the bottom of the eighth inning. In this game, his first start since the 5th starting line-up, he responded to the opportunity right away in his first at-bat.

◇ Ueda’s Comments
“I hit a sinker. Teraji worked the count well, so I was able to watch the ball closely. I went up to the plate thinking, ‘If a pitch comes in the sweet spot on the first pitch, I’m going to swing at it.’”

Text by Kana Niwa