The Rakuten Eagles got off to a slow start this season but came together as a team during interleague play under first-year manager Toshiaki Imae. Published on By hit a two-run homer on Sunday, June 16 as the Rakuten Eagles beat the Hiroshima Carp 5-3 to win 's interleague competition for the first time in the team's 20-year history. Suzuki connected for a two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi to give the Eagles a 5-0 lead with his first home run of the season.
"It couldn't have come at a better time," Suzuki said. "I surprised myself when I hit it and I'm glad that we rewarded all the fans that came out today with this win." A former Chiba Lotte Marine, Suzuki has now hit a home run against all 12 teams in NPB.
, one of seven Rakuten pitchers to take the mound on Sunday, picked up the win after coming on in relief of starter and pitching one scoreless inning. Rakuten, officially known as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, finished interleague games with a record of 13 wins and five losses, just one game ahead of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who lost by a score of 4-1 against the Hanshin Tigers on the final day of interleague games. With the title clinched by Rakuten, Pacific League teams have now won 14 times with the Central League claiming the championship only five times.
Rakuten Eagles Improve During Interleague Play Prior to the start of interleague games, few would have predicted the Eagles would come out on top. When interleague p.
