On July 3rd at 6 PM, the 12th game of the series between Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will be held at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi.

[Head-to-head record] Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (6th place) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place): 4 wins, 7 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: Takahisa Hayakawa pitcher 10 games, 3 wins, 3 losses, 2.28 ERA
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: pitcher Hiromi Ito 14 games, 8 wins, 3 losses, ERA 2.86

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles is currently on a three-game losing streak, but McCusker has been hitting consistently, with hit in nine consecutive games since June 19th, including three Home Run during that time. This will be his first matchup against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Can he showcase his hitting prowess against pitcher Hiromi Ito who is tied for the league lead with eight wins?

pitcher Ito has made two appearances against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles this season, posting a stable record of 2 wins and 0 losses with ERA of 2.08. The team is currently on a five-game winning streak, and the offense is also performing well, scoring five or more runs in four consecutive games. They will be looking to further boost their momentum with a dominant pitch from their ace.