At Jingu Stadium, Hanshin Tigers outfielder Shota Morishita (25) blasted his first career grand slam. Starting as the No. 2 hitter and right fielder for the first time in his professional career, Morishita admitted, “I don’t really have much memory of that.” He was hitless until the ninth inning when he came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out.

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Although his earlier at-bats felt decent, he hadn’t been able to make solid contact. “Even in that situation, I managed to make adjustments in my own way,” he said. On the first pitch from Yakult’s Takuya, a 137 km/h forkball, Morishita swung through and the ball sailed straight into the left-center field stands, aided by the wind. The homer was his 10th of the season, tying teammate Ryoya Sato for the league lead, and contributed to the team’s double-digit scoring. This marked his fourth consecutive season with double-digit home runs since entering the pros. “I haven’t been able to hit well in clutch situations lately, so in terms of getting a chance, it was good that I could drive in some runs,” he remarked. Regardless of where he bats in the lineup, Morishita proves to be a reliable power hitter who can deliver RBIs.