◇ Saitama Seibu Lions vs Tohoku Rakuten Eagles 13th Round (8th, Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha)

Saitama Seibu Lions 's Yutaro Watanabe pitcher delivered a strong performance with 112 pitches over 7 innings, 7 hit 2 Walk 8 strike out 2 runs.

With three batters retiring in order in the first inning, including two struck out, the lineup immediately took the lead by one run. In the top of the second, they fought through a two-out, runners-on-first and third situation, but in the top of the third, they found another crisis and were tied with a sacrifice fly by Ryosuke Tatsumi. Then, in the top of the fifth, with two hit and one out, runners on first and third, the double play collapsed to take the lead.

He also allowed runner in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, but did not allow any additional runs. As a result, he closer 7 hit 2 Walk in the 7th inning and 2 runs, achieving his seventh consecutive QS appearance. He has continued his fifth HQS of the season and a stable pitch as the pillar of the starter.

◇ Watanabe Player Comments
"Failing to maintain the team's lead is something to learn from this. The pitches we've thrown have improved compared to recently, so we'll make sure to make sure we can do even better next time."

Text by Aoi Nishijima