On October 3rd from 18:00, the 25th round match between Rakuten Eagles and Orix Buffaloes will be held at Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi.

【Match Record】Rakuten Eagles (6th) vs Orix Buffaloes (4th) 14 wins, 10 losses

【Probable Starters】
Rakuten Eagles: pitcher Wataru Karashima 10 games, 3 wins, 1 loss, ERA 3.62 (Farm team)
Orix Buffaloes: pitcher Alen Kuri 26 games, 9 wins, 11 losses, ERA 3.20

For Rakuten Eagles, pitcher Wataru Karashima, who has announced his retirement at the end of this season, will start. In the farm team, he pitched well with 1 run in 5 innings on August 23rd, and after his retirement announcement, he pitched on September 26th, getting one hitter struck out in three pitches. He hopes to show his final brave figure to the fans in his 18th year as a pro. As for the lineup, rookie Shoya Sakaue recorded his first pro hit on the 1st.

On the other hand, Orix Buffaloes will play their final game of the season. Starting pitcher Alen Kuri pitched brilliantly in his previous appearance against Chiba Lotte Marines, allowing 0 runs on 2 hits and 2 Walks over 7 innings. Can he stop the losing streak and end the 2026 season with a win? In batting, pay attention to Ryoma Nishikawa. He currently leads the league with 155 hits, a 3-hit lead over 2nd place Chiba Lotte Marines' Misho Nishikawa. He will want to widen the gap to secure his first batting title.

Text by Minagi Niwa