The first game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Yokohama DeNA BayStars will be held at ES CON FIELD on June 9th at 6 PM.

[Last season's head-to-head record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. Yokohama DeNA BayStars: 1 win, 2 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: pitcher Hiromi Ito 11 games, 6 wins, 3 losses, ERA 2.99
Yokohama DeNA: Kentaro Taira (pitcher 8 games, 2 wins, 3 losses, ERA 4.25

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham 's starting pitcher, Hiromi Ito, was unable to pitch effectively in his last start (June 3rd against Hiroshima), giving up 3 runs in 5 innings and being pulled after his shortest inning of the season. On the other hand, he faced Yokohama DeNA last season as well, runs in 8 innings. He will be hoping to pitch well again in this game and lead his team to their fifth consecutive win.

In the batting lineup, Yuki Nomura is in great form. While Nomura's monthly batting average was in the .200s in April and May, it has risen to .429 so far in June (as of before the game). He has recorded multiple hit in four of the last six games, and his clutch hitting ability is also evident, with a .433 batting average with runners in scoring position this season.