◇Tohoku Rakuten Eagles vs Orix Buffaloes 22nd Round (1st, Komachi Stadium)

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles' Rui Muneyama hit a go-ahead 5th 3-run home run.

He started as the "No. 3, short stop". In the bottom of the 5th inning with both teams scoreless, Fumiya Kurokawa 's hit and YG Yasuda 's Walk created a 1-out, 1st and 2nd base opportunity. Then, Rui Muneyama, who entered the batter's box, caught a high breaking ball from the opponent's starter Alen Kuri pitcher on a 2-2 count. The ball landed in the right-field stands, becoming a shot that broke the deadlock of the game.

In August, Rui Muneyama recorded excellent results with 28 hit in 87 At Bat and a monthly batting average of .322. Marking his first Home Run since August 15th, he has made a great start this month as well. He aims to further demonstrate his presence in both offense and defense from here on.

◇Rui Muneyama Comment
"The pitch I hit was a fork. Since we hadn't been able to score despite creating chances, I felt like I had to do something. Since I was cornered in the count, I went for a compact swing, and I'm glad it resulted in a home run." (with a smile)

Text by Aoi Nishijima