Giants lose in overtime walk-off to Hiroshima, a bitter loss in the championship race

With less than 10 games left, they were 0.5 games behind the leader. The Giants were on the verge of winning, losing in a disappointing overtime walk-off to last-place Hiroshima. There was a chance to erase Hanshin's victory magic, but they narrowed it down.

In the 7th inning, trailing by one run, they caught up with three consecutive hits from the leadoff, but with no outs on 1st and 2nd base, they were unable to take advantage of a good opportunity to take the lead. In the 8th inning, No. 4 Dalbec struck out with two outs and second and third base. After the ninth inning, there were no runners.

Togo, who suffered a slump in his last outing, giving up 9 runs in 2 innings, bounced back and gave up 2 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. ``Even though we got the first point, I managed to hang on and pitch.'' However, the rock-solid relief team that has supported the team this season has begun to crack. In the 11th inning of overtime, Akaboshi, the 8th batter, walked to the leadoff pitcher and found himself in a pinch with one out and the bases loaded. In the end, he allowed a sacrifice fly, and the stands, which were dyed red with Hiroshima fans, erupted in joy.

Hiroshima came into the game with three consecutive wins at home. Their momentum was halted by an opponent who had a large lead at 14 wins and 6 losses. ``Since we can clearly see the goal in front of us, this is a great source of motivation that flows through the entire team,'' said acting coach Hashigami. They cannot afford to lose any more as they aim to win the league for the first time in two years.