September 8, 2023, 22:40 Softbank vs. Rakuten In the bottom of the 6th inning, Softbank has two outs, the bases are loaded, and Shuto hits a home run over the right field, exchanging touches with Akira Nakamura (left) and Takeda (right) in front of the bench (Photographer/ Shota Iwashita)
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It was a very painful loss for Softbank. He was trailing by 5 runs, but in the 6th inning, Shuto hit his first bases loaded hit as a pro, bringing the lead to just 1 run. Towards the reversal at the end… The voltage of the fans in the stands must have increased as well. But that was it. In the 9th inning, he gave up a point that could be called a failure. In the end, Rakuten’s guardian Yutaka Matsui held him down with just three people.
I wanted to get back-to-back wins over 2nd place Lotte and ride the wave. Although they advanced against Seibu and Lotte in the previous two cards, they lost their first match. “We lost the first match on all three cards, so let’s do our best tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.” After the game, Manager Fujimoto said this with a hint of frustration. Even so, it must be said that this is a tough record for an “A-class defense”. This is the fourth consecutive loss against Rakuten. Their match record was 7 wins and 11 losses. Furthermore, as I watched the match, what came back to me was the heartbreaking loss on “Tanabata Night.” The match will take place on July 7th in enemy territory, Sendai. They gave up 5 runs in the first inning, giving up a 6-point lead early on. However, they scored 5 points in the middle of the game, bringing the lead back to 1 point. In the 9th inning, trailing by one point, he attacked Yutaka Matsui and had no outs on 1st and 3rd base, creating an opportunity for a turnaround, but he ended up scoreless and suffered a loss. It was the beginning of a 12-game losing streak for the team, the first in 54 years. It is true that a dark shadow was creeping over the team, such as the departure of Moinelo, but the fact that despite conceding so many goals it ended in a “negligible loss” rather than a “big loss” further highlighted the poor tactics. .
It was 1.5 games behind 4th place Rakuten. There are 7 games left in the head-to-head competition. If I don’t overcome my weakness, I won’t even be able to get into A class.
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2023-09-08 22:42:09
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