The third game between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Chiba Lotte Marines will be held at ES CON FIELD on April 2nd at 6 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (tied for 5th place) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (tied for 2nd place): 1 win, 1 loss

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Takayuki Kato pitcher 20 games played, 9 wins, 6 losses, 3.40 ERA (last season)
Chiba Lotte Marines: pitcher Yuji Nishino: 9 games, 0 wins, 4 losses, ERA 3.08 (last season)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will start pitcher Takayuki Kato. In the preseason games, he appeared in 3 games, recording 1 win and 0 losses with ERA of 1.13. In his final appearance on March 18 against Yokohama DeNA, he showed smooth progress, allowing only 2 runs in 7 innings. The team has also recorded Home Run in 5 consecutive games since the start of the season. Will they produce another big hit in this game?

Chiba Lotte Marines will be mound pitcher Yuji Nishino. Last season, he was limited to just 9 appearances due to a right forearm injury and ended the season without win. In his most recent appearance on March 25 against Tokyo Yakult (farm team), he pitched well, allowing only 3 hit strike out 5 innings without runs. He will be aiming for his first win since September 28, 2024, with a game-winning pitch.