The third game between Orix Buffaloes and Tohoku Rakuten Eagles will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 29th at 1:00 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Orix Buffaloes (tied for 3rd place) vs. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (tied for 3rd place): 1 win, 1 loss

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Orix Buffaloes: pitcher Daiki Tajima, 18 games, 7 wins, 7 losses, 3.13 ERA (last season's record)
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: pitcher Sota Fujiwara makes his professional debut.

Orix Buffaloes will have pitcher Daiki Tajima making his first start of the season. Last season, he made 6 appearances against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, recording 2 wins and 1 loss with ERA of 2.12, his best record against any team. Will he be able to demonstrate his good compatibility in this game as well? In the batting lineup, keep an eye on Ryo Ota. He went hit 3 At Bat in the opening game, but in the game on the 28th, he recorded 2 hit, including an extra-base hit.

On the opposing side, Tohoku Rakuten Eagles will see their first-round draft pick, pitcher Sota Fujiwara, make his professional debut. In the preseason games, he pitched up to five inning without closer runs, achieving ERA of 0.66. And pitcher Hikaru Ota, who caught for Fujiwara in all four preseason games, recorded three hit in the opening game. Can he contribute both offensively and defensively to help pitcher achieve his first professional win?

Written by Aoi Nishijima