◆ Pacific League: Lotte 2-0 Orix Buffaloes (16th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte broke the deadlock with a super-effective hit from Toshiya Sato, securing their third consecutive win and winning the series against league leaders Orix Buffaloes.

This game was held as a collaboration under the title 'Pokémon Baseball Festa 2026.' Lotte's Haruya Tanaka pitcher, who started for their second win of the season, left the mound after 5 innings, 5 hit, no runs. He threw a fastball in the low 150 km/h range, mixing fork, cutter, and slider, putting himself in trouble multiple times but never letting him hit home plate. He was mound, determined to "compete within the zone and throw my own ball at a good pace," but after 5 innings, he threw 91 pitches. The pace was never great, but they still held on scoreless, waiting for the lineup to rally.

That persistence created chances. In the sixth inning with neither team scoring and one out, runners on second and third. Tajima's fifth pitch, a fastball. Sato hit a two-run single to take the lead, deflecting 149 km/h to the left field. throw Sato slipped into second base and raised both hands in celebration. The relief team connected and defended two valuable runs with runs.