SENDAI (Kyodo) The casualty list continued to grow for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles as they lost a player to a season-ending injury for the third straight day. This time, it was third baseman Daisuke Kusano.
Kusano was diagnosed with a broken right hand Tuesday, which will sideline him for three weeks. The last-place Eagles' season ends on Sept. 29 at home against the Seibu Lions.
Kusano was hit in the hand by a pitch during Sunday's game against the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Just a day earlier, Norihiro Nakamura was shelved for the year with a torn hamstring. The day before that, All-Star Teppei Tsuchiya was ruled out for the season with a broken toe.