◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 8-4 Nippon-Ham (29th, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Nippon-Ham lost to Softbank Hawks, resulting in their first three-game losing streak to start the season since 2022.

Arihara, who joined from Softbank Hawks, allowed the first run in the first inning, and then gave up three more runs in the second inning, immediately after his team took the lead. He continued to give up runs in the third and fourth innings, and his first appearance since joining the team ended with him giving up 10 hit 7 runs (5 earned) in 6 innings.

The batting lineup saw key players like Manami, Kiyomiya Yuki, and Gunji hit home runs, but they were all solo shots. They had hoped to get revenge for last season's CS final stage loss in the opening three-game series, but were unexpectedly swept in all three.

Manager Shinjo, who is aiming for his long-awaited championship this season, vowed after the game to use the humiliating three-game losing streak as motivation, and said with conviction, "I'm going to have Ito, Tatsuya, and Arihara pitch (as starters in the three games), and I want this to be a season where we can say that we were able to reach the top because of these three losses."