Hiroshima prevents Hanshin from raising their heads, showing determination in final home match

(October 3, Professional Baseball Hiroshima Toyo Carp 6-4 Hanshin Tigers)

I don't want to see my opponent's torso raised in front of me anymore. The feelings of the Hiroshima players were conveyed.

A match against Magic 1 Hanshin. At Mazda Stadium, the team's base, fans wearing Hanshin's yellow uniforms could be seen in various places in addition to the visitor cheering seats. In the third inning, Hanshin hit two home runs, and the stands erupted into celebration.

Immediately after that, Shota Suekane hit a 3-run homer to tie the game. In this inning, Ryosuke Kikuchi and Shogo Sakakura got on base with consecutive hits with no outs, but it was their turn at bat after the following two players retired.

Full count to left field seat. Suekane, who was finally promoted to the first team in mid-September after a prolonged slump in batting, said, ``I haven't played in the first team all year, so I may not be qualified to say this, but both my team and myself didn't want to see him raise his head anymore.''

Hiroshima lost the league championship to the Giants at Mazda the year before last, and to Hanshin at Koshien last year. I don't want to experience humiliation for three years in a row. It was just like that. He went ahead in the eighth inning and won a close game.

This day was also the final game of the season at home. The season was rocked by the "zombie cigarette riot." At the ceremony, director Takahiro Arai apologized to the fans, saying, ``We have caused everyone a great deal of worry and inconvenience.''

Looking ahead to next season, ``I will do my best to make everyone happy until this season.'' These were words of determination for his fifth season in office.