◇ Orix Buffaloes vs. Chunichi "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" Game 2 (May 30th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes Kotaro Kobayashi The player hit a go-ahead two-run homer, his sixth of the season.

In the bottom of the first inning, the leadoff batter Keita Nakagawa A player hit doble on the first pitch to create a scoring opportunity, and with one out, Kurebayashi stepped up to the plate. With a 1-1 count, he connected with two seam fastball from opposing pitcher Yudai Ohno, sending the ball into the middle of the left field stands. This gave his team a valuable early lead.

This was his first home run since the game against the Saitama Seibu Lions on the 24th. He had gone hit in his last two games, but he has been gradually improving his form, hit in six consecutive games towards the end of May, bringing his monthly batting average to .288 (as of before the game).

◇Comment from Kurebayashi
"I was able to hit two seam fastball perfectly. I really wanted to score the first run, so I'm glad it turned out to be the best possible result."

Written by Riyoko Niwa