◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: DeNA 8-7 Rakuten Eagles (June 4, Yokohama)

Rakuten Eagles failed to hold onto their seven-run lead, giving up eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings for a walk walk-off loss. This nightmarish defeat meant they missed their first three-game sweep against the same opponent this season.

In the first inning, leadoff hitter Sato hit a leadoff hitter home run, giving the team a four-run lead, and starter Takinaka pitched a strong runs six innings without a second. In the eighth inning, Sato's three-run triple reduced the definitive 7-run deficit.

However, behind the scenes, the three reliever pitcher, Shibata, Kajiya, and Tsurusaki, collapsed, giving up a combined 6 hit 1 Walk, and 3 Hit by Pitch. They squandered the entire lead.

With the score tied in the ninth, the relievers all failed to perform their roles, as Nishigaki, in the sixth, was walk-off thrown out of order with two walks Hit by Pitch and a runner on first and second.

After the game, manager Hajime Miki reflected on lose, his voice trembling as he said, "The players gave it their all. I feel sorry for the fans who have been supporting us because of this result."

The guardian god, Fujihira, had pitched in consecutive games since the first game of the series, and the manager said, "I have various options, but I didn't use him there (in the ninth inning with the score tied)," suggesting that he was trying to avoid pitching three in a row as much as possible. On the other hand, Kajiya (4th) is pitching in his 26th game, the most in either league, and Nishigaki (6th) is pitching in his 24th game, so the reliever lineup's workload is only going to increase.