On September 10th from 18:00, the 23rd round match between the Orix Buffaloes and Saitama Seibu Lions will be held at Hotto Motto Field Kobe.

【Head-to-Head Record】Orix Buffaloes (5th) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd) 10 wins, 11 losses, 1 draw

【Probable Starters】
Orix Buffaloes: Pitcher Yasuto Takashima 20 games, 6 wins, 4 losses, ERA 4.05
Saitama Seibu Lions: Pitcher Sou Sato 7 games, 1 win, 1 loss, ERA 3.79

The starter for the Orix Buffaloes is pitcher Yasuto Takashima. In his last two games, he earned wins in both, pitching 5 innings with 1 run allowed. In his previous matchup against the Seibu Lions (August 2nd), he pitched 6 innings with 103 pitches, 8 hits, and 3 runs. In this game, can he stop the team's losing streak with a strong performance? On offense, keep an eye on Yuma Mune, who recorded 2 hits in 2 At Bats in the previous matchup (May 23rd) against the opposing starter, pitcher Sou Sato.

On the other hand, the Seibu Lions' starter, pitcher Sou Sato, faces pitcher Takashima for the second time this season since May 23rd. In that game, he was unable to complete 5 innings, finishing with 4.1 innings, 82 pitches, 6 hits, no walks or Hit by Pitch, 3 strike outs, and 1 run, but he pitched tenaciously despite an accident where he was hit by a batted ball. Can he pitch as many innings as possible in this game? On offense, Natsuo Takizawa has recorded 4 hits in 10 At Bats in four matchups against pitcher Takashima this season.

Text by Ryo Aritake