On September 11, the 21st game between Fukuoka Softbank and Chiba Lotte Marines held at MIZUHO PayPay Dome ended in an 11-1 win for Fukuoka Softbank.

Fukuoka Softbank starting pitcher Yugo Maeda allowed the opening run on a first-base grounder with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out in the first inning. However, he retired the side in order for three innings starting from the second. Although he faced runners in the 5th and 7th innings, he shut down key situations and left the mound after 7 innings, 105 pitches, 5 hits, 1 Walk, 9 strike outs, and 1 runs.

The lineup equalized in the bottom of the 1st immediately after conceding, with Tomoya Masaki 's 25th solo home run. In the bottom of the 4th, lead-off hitter Yuki Yanagita 's 16th home run put them ahead, followed by consecutive timely hits from Akira Kawase and Masaki with the bases loaded to score three runs. The momentum didn't stop, as Kensuke Kondo and Ryoya Kurihara also produced consecutive timely hits with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out, leading to a total of 7 runs in the inning.

In the bottom of the 7th, Yamakawa hit a 10th two-run home run to seal the game, and in the top of the 8th, Hikaru Kimura pitched a scoreless inning. They added another run in the bottom of the 8th with Yanagita's timely hit, and in the top of the 9th, Tatsuto Kobayashi acted as closer to end the game 11-1. Yugo Maeda recorded a career-high 9 strike outs for his 12th win without a loss since the start of the season, jumping to the sole lead in wins. The lineup had 18 hits and 11 runs, providing massive support for a 4-game winning streak.

For the defeated Chiba Lotte Marines, pitcher Shuta Ishikawa made his first start of the season but struggled, giving up 8 runs on 10 hits, 1 Walk, and 3 strike outs in 3.1 innings and 76 pitches. The lineup was limited to the single run in the first inning, and their winning streak stopped at 4.

123456789 Total
M 100000000 1
H 10070021X 11

M ●Shuta Ishikawa-Koshiro Sakamoto-Hayate Miyazaki-Keisuke Sawada
H ○Yugo Maeda-Hikaru Kimura-Tatsuto Kobayashi

Text by Aoi Nemoto