Reliable ace Ito remains unfazed by accidents - Professional Baseball CS/Nippon-Ham

Ace was reliable after all. Ito made his long-awaited appearance on the mound in Game 3, allowing 3 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. His pitching and hitting connected, and he made it through the first stage with a come-from-behind performance. His right arm, which had been preserved, pitched as expected. Coach Shinjo was impressed, saying, ``He threw it well, really.''

Nippon-Ham advances to finals for third consecutive year, defeats Seibu 2 wins, 1 loss - Professional Baseball CS

He did not give up despite repeated accidents. Three times. He injured his lower back while handling Tonosaki's ground ball to the first base line. In the fifth inning, with no outs and runners on first and second base, Hirasawa's batted ball hit the inside of his left foot. He said he was nervous, but said, ``With that development, I couldn't imagine handing it over there (to another pitcher). I told them I wanted to go.''

He received the call from the right field seat, ``Good luck Omi (Ito),'' and returned to the mound. He held out and allowed only one run on a sacrifice fly, and said with a relieved expression, ``I'm glad I managed to come back with the fewest.''

Although he was given an early exit, the relief team worked hard to keep the game scoreless. In the final stage, they will challenge Softbank for the third consecutive year. This time, the opponent has a two-win advantage, and the road to the Japan Series is much more difficult than the past two years. This season, they have struggled with 5 wins, 18 losses, and 2 draws, and Coach Shinjo said, ``During the season, we were looked down upon, but the opposite is true all the time.'' Push forward with a sure win.