On September 2nd at 18:00, the 23rd round match between Rakuten Eagles and Orix Buffaloes will be held at Kitagin Ballpark.

【Match Record】Rakuten Eagles (6th) vs Orix Buffaloes (4th) 13 wins, 9 losses

【Probable Starters】
Rakuten Eagles: Kosei Shoji pitcher 20 games 6 wins 9 losses, ERA 4.17
Orix Buffaloes: Sho Iwasaki pitcher 17 games 0 wins 2 losses, ERA 7.04

For Rakuten Eagles, Kosei Shoji will start. In the previous matchup on August 26th, although he did not get a win or loss, he was hit hard, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits, 3 Walks, and 9 strike outs in 6 innings. So far this season, he has an ERA of 3.27 in 5 games against this opponent, making them a somewhat difficult opponent, but can he lead the team to consecutive victories with a strong performance in this game?

On the other hand, for Orix Buffaloes, we want to focus on Ryo Ota. He has recorded a hit in 5 of the last 6 games, including multi-hit performances in 3 of those games. While continuing to be used as the number 4 hitter, can he contribute to stopping the team's losing streak with his characteristic batting? Additionally, for the pitching staff where a bullpen day is expected, pitcher Sho Iwasaki will take on his first start in 10 years, since 2016.

Text by Aoi Nishijima