Tohoku Rakuten’s Kenta Maeda got off to a good start with three batters thrown out in the first inning, and then held the first-round batter to perfect pitching until the third inning. In the 4th inning, he allowed a hit to the leadoff, but forced the next batter into a double play, resulting in only three batters. From then on, even when he was carrying a runner on his back, he continued to pitch with a sense of stability and did not let him step on second base. He took the mound in the 9th inning for his first shutout victory in 12 years. They allowed hits from the first two players in a row and were in a pinch. If he gets one out and puts runners on 1st and 3rd base, he loses 1 point during the following batter’s grounder to the infield. Although it was a frustrating exit, he received generous applause from the stands. He pitched well with 8.2 innings of 105 pitches, 5 hits, no walks, and 1 run, giving up his second win of the season!!
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