◇Chiba Lotte Marines vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Game 24 (28th, Zozo Marine Stadium)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's Yuya Gunji hit his first career grand slam.
　
In the top of the 8th inning with a 3-point lead, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham created a bases loaded opportunity with no outs through a hit by Taiki Narama and others. Entering the batter's box here was pinch-hitter Yuya Gunji. When he swung without hesitation at the first pitch, an outside fastball thrown by pitcher Keisuke Sawada, the ball flew straight into the left-field stands. This widened the score gap instantly.

Yuya Gunji had been in a bit of a slump in September with a .205 batting average (as of before the game). However, he responded firmly to the substitution by hitting his first home run since the Rakuten Eagles game on September 5th.

Text by Kanako Fukushima