The third round match between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Orix Buffaloes will be played on April 5 at 1:00 p.m. at ES CON FIELD.

Matchups: Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (tie for 2nd place) vs. Orix Buffaloes (tie for 2nd place), 2-0

Preliminary Round
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Kohei Arihara pitcher 1 game 0-1, ERA 7.50
Orix Buffaloes Jerry pitcher 3-0 in 3 games, ERA 0.00 (Open record)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Ha, Shun Mizutani player to watch. Although he had been doing well since the open game, he had stopped hitting after the March 31 Chiba Lotte Marines game, with three games, totaling 9 At Bat no hit. Still, when he appeared starting line-up in a game on the 4th, Haruki Nishikawa He contributed to win with 2 hit hits, including one that led to a 3-run homer for the team's second consecutive win. With the team riding a wave of three consecutive wins, they hope to gain further momentum.

Against Orix Buffaloes, newcomer Jerry pitcher made his first appearance in Japan. He pitched in three games in the open tournament, all of which were no-decisions runs and closer. He pitched well in his most recent appearance (on the 24th against a farm team Hanshin Tigers), pitching 2 hit 1 Walk 5 strike out no-decisions runs in 2 innings. On the batting line Kotaro Kobayashi Expectations are high for the players. Although he suffered from a slump right after the season opener, he is showing signs of recovery with a .250 batting average, including 2 hit in the previous game.

Text by Aoi Nishijima