The Orix Buffaloes are in their first Pacific League pennant race in six seasons and thoroughly enjoying the experience.
After their entire weekend series against the last-place Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles was washed out, the Buffaloes entered Wednesday's game against the Seibu Lions trailing the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks by 4½ games. Any thoughts that the Buffaloes might be tightening up under pressure are washed away by watching them warm up.
Veteran center fielder Tomotaka Sakaguchi, one of a few players remaining from Orix's last playoff season in 2008, was shouting his head off as the Buffaloes warmed up at Seibu Dome in Saitama Prefecture.