On September 12th at 2:00 PM, the 24th round match between the Orix Buffaloes and Tohoku Rakuten Eagles will take place at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

【Head-to-Head Record】Orix Buffaloes (5th) vs. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (6th): 9 wins, 14 losses

【Probable Starters】
Orix Buffaloes: Pitcher Espinoza, 20 games, 11 wins (tied for 2nd), 5 losses, ERA 2.65 (5th)
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: Pitcher Takahisa Hayakawa, 19 games, 6 wins, 7 losses, ERA 2.74

Orix Buffaloes starter Espinoza has struggled against the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles this season, with 1 win, 2 losses, and an ERA of 4.00 in 3 games. In their previous encounter on August 12th, he suffered a loss after giving up 5 runs on 7 hits and 1 Walk in 5.0 innings, including allowing 2 Home Runs. He will look to seek revenge and secure his 12th win, which would tie him for the league lead.

For the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, Takahisa Hayakawa will start. While he posted an ERA of 1.50 over 5 games in August, including 4 consecutive HQS, his previous outing (on the 5th against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham) resulted in 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 Walks over 6 innings. Expectations are high for a strong performance to save the team, which is currently on a 6-game losing streak. In the lineup, Fumiya Kurokawa and Maqusquer both recorded Home Runs in their previous matchup against pitcher Espinoza.