Following the changes in Central League 's system, the designated hitter (DH) rule is expected to be implemented in all interleague games.

With Central League introducing DH (DH) system from 2027, it is expected that the DH will also be used in Central League League-hosted interleague games from next year onward. Until this season, the DH system was only used in Pacific League hosted games, but how did each team's performance change between home and away games?

This time, we'll look at the home and away records for the 10 seasons since 2015, when the interleague series was changed to the current 18-game format (there were no interleague games in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus). We'll revisit the performance of the six Pacific League teams and examine the differences in trends among the teams.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

While they have a positive record of 48 wins, 40 losses, and 2 ties at home, putting them ahead by 8 games, they have a negative record of 42 wins, 47 losses, and 1 tie on the road, putting them behind by 5 games. Their overall interleague record since 2015 is 90 wins, 87 losses, and 3 ties, showing 3 wins more than losses, but it is clear that there is a considerable difference between their home and away records.

Looking at their performance each season, they achieved a winning record at home six times in the last ten years, demonstrating their ability to capitalize on home advantage. They also recorded a winning record on the road five times, exactly half of the ten years, but two seasons with significantly losing records—3 wins and 6 losses in 2019 and 2 wins and 7 losses in 2022—were a major factor.

Furthermore, since relocating their home ground to ES CON FIELD Hokkaido in 2023, their home record has been perfectly even, with 13 wins, 13 losses, and 1 draw. In the most recent season, 2025, they had a significantly winning record of 6 wins and 3 losses, so there is a good chance they will achieve many more wins at their new home ground.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Since 2015, their interleague record is 96 wins, 82 losses, and 2 ties, giving them a winning record of 14 games, suggesting they have been strong in interleague play in recent years. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that they have a winning record both at home (49 wins, 40 losses, 1 tie) and away (47 wins, 42 losses, 1 tie).

However, looking at the season-by-season record, the team has achieved a winning record at home in 7 out of 10 seasons, while only achieving a winning record on the road in 4 seasons. At home, they have steadily accumulated wins, but on the road, they have followed a contrasting pattern, with a 7-2 record in 2024 when they achieved the team's first interleague championship, and all three other winning records being 6-3, accumulating wins through big wins over four years.

Saitama Seibu Lions

At home, they achieved a record of 52 wins, 37 losses, and 1 tie, accumulating a lead of 15 wins, while away from home, they suffered a record of 33 wins, 51 losses, and 6 ties, with a losing record of 18 games. Their interleague record since 2015 is also 85 wins, 88 losses, and 7 ties, with a losing record of 3 games, showing that their struggles away from home have affected their interleague performance as a whole.

Looking at the season-by-season record, the team has had a winning record at home in 8 out of 10 seasons, and has recorded 6 or more wins in 5 of those years. On the other hand, they have only had a winning record on the road twice in the past 10 years, and even in those two years, they only managed a 5-4 record, which was not a significant win. In 2023 and 2024, they struggled on the road for two consecutive years, going 2-7, showing a completely different performance at home compared to away.

Chiba Lotte Marines

At home, they had a record of 53 wins and 37 losses, a lead of 16 games, but on the road, they had a record of 36 wins, 49 losses, and 5 ties, putting them behind by 13 games. In interleague play since 2015, they have a record of 89 wins, 86 losses, and 5 ties, with three wins in the lead, but it is clear that, like the Saitama Seibu Lions, there is a significant difference in performance between home and away games.

In terms of season-by-season performance, the team consistently achieved good results at home, winning more games than they lost seven times in ten seasons, and recording six or more wins four times. However, they only won more games than they lost away from home three times in the same ten-year period, and had five seasons with three or fewer wins. Given that they often built their lineup around powerful foreign players, it can be said that the presence or absence of the designated hitter rule had a significant impact on their performance.

Orix Buffaloes

Since 2015, their interleague record is 97 wins, 80 losses, and 3 ties, giving them a lead of 17 games, demonstrating their traditional strength in interleague play. However, while their home record is 47 wins, 41 losses, and 2 ties (a winning record of 6 games), their away record is 50 wins, 39 losses, and 1 tie (a winning record of 11 games). During this period, they are the only team in Pacific League with a better away record than their home record.

The team has only had five winning seasons at home over the past 10 years, exactly half the total, and in 2016 they struggled greatly at home, going 1-8. Similarly, they have only had five winning seasons away from home over the past 10 years, but from 2015 to 2018 they had a winning percentage below 50% for four consecutive years. However, from 2019 to 2024 they had five consecutive seasons with winning records, suggesting that their interleague game performance has improved along with the team's progress.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Since 2015, their interleague record is 108 wins, 64 losses, and 8 ties, with win total reaching triple digits. They also won the interleague championship five times during that period, the most of any of the 12 teams. They recorded excellent results both at home (57 wins, 28 losses, and 5 ties, a positive win-loss record of 29) and away (51 wins, 36 losses, and 3 ties, a positive win-loss record of 15), but their home record was even better than their away record.

Looking at their season-by-season performance, they have an outstanding record of winning more games at home eight times in the last 10 years, with five of those seasons ending in two losses or less. They have also achieved eight winning more games away from home in the last 10 seasons, demonstrating consistent performance both at home and away. These various statistics reflect the reason why they have won so many championships in interleague play.

Keep a close eye on the home and away results in interleague play from next season onward.

All five teams other than Orix Buffaloes had better home record than away record in the last 10 seasons. The fact that each team has performed well in home games where they can use the designated hitter rule may be one of the reasons why Pacific League has been strong in interleague play.

With the introduction of the designated hitter (DH) rule in both leagues next season, it will be possible to use the same roster in all interleague games as in regular games. The changes in home and away performance in this new environment, as well as the interleague game results recorded by each team, are likely to become topics worth paying attention to more than ever before.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki