On July 18th at 6:00 PM, a 12-round match between Chiba Lotte Marines and Fukuoka Softbank will be held on Zozo Marine Stadium.

[Head-to-head Record] Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place) vs Fukuoka Softbank (1st place) 4 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw

[Announced Starting Lineup]
Chiba Lotte Marines: Koshiro Hiroike pitcher 13 games, 2 wins, 4 losses, ERA 3.58
Fukuoka Softbank: Ryosuke Otsu pitcher 13 games, 8 wins, 2 losses, ERA 1.89

Chiba Lotte Marines The lineup is focused on Kyota Fujiwara players. Although he was sidelined temporarily in May this season, he returned in June and showed consistent performance in July with a .271 batting average, .364 on-base percentage, and .801 OPS. Can he create opportunities in this game as well as he climbs to the top? Starting pitcher Koshiro Hiroike pitcher pitched well on July 3 in his previous game against Fukuoka Softbank, pitching 7 innings 6 hit 3 runs (earned runs 2).

On the other hand, Fukuoka Softbank 's starting pitcher is Ryosuke Otsu pitcher, who have been posting a solid pitch of 1. ERA 89 with an 8-2 record in 13 games this season. He faced Chiba Lotte Marines on May 9, giving up two Home Run and giving up three runs in the middle of the seventh inning. This time, he is cautious about even one home run and wants to claim his ninth win. On the 16th, Taisei Makihara hit the game-winning hit. In his last six games, he has a At Bat.8 hit with a batting average of .364.

Text by Minagi Niwa