The 22nd game between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Fukuoka Softbank will be held at ES CON FIELD from 18:00 on September 2nd.

【Head-to-head record】Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd) vs Fukuoka Softbank (1st) 5 wins, 15 losses, 1 draw

【Probable starters】
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Kota Tatsu pitcher 23 games 4 wins, 6 losses, ERA 2.92
Fukuoka Softbank: Naoyuki Uwasawa pitcher 17 games 7 wins, 4 losses, ERA 2.64

For Hokkaido Nippon-Ham, pitcher Kota Tatsu will start. In his previous appearance (August 26th against the Saitama Seibu Lions), he recorded his first complete game win of the season, throwing 131 pitches over 9 innings with 6 hits, 1 Walk, 10 strike outs, and 1 runs. Kengo Yoshida appeared in 11 games in August, marking good results with 9 hits in 32 At Bat for a .281 batting average. On the other hand, his hitting has slowed down with 2 hits in 16 At Bat over his last 6 appearances, so expectations are high for a recovery.

Opposing them for Fukuoka Softbank, pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa will take the mound. He started 4 games in August. He contributed to the team's victories with a 2-0 record, recording a QS in 3 of those games. As he is currently on a personal two-game winning streak, he will look to further increase his win total.

Text by Aoi Nishijima