◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 2-1 Softbank Hawks (19th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes won a close game, ending their losing streak at four games. They regained a six-game lead and maintained their second-place position, just 0.5 games behind league leaders Seibu Lions.

In the first inning, with one out and runners on second and third base, Ota hit a sacrifice sacrifice fly, his second consecutive RBI with an RBI, to give his team the lead. In the second inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Watanabe's single to left field led to an error by Softbank Hawks 's Kondo, adding another run.

Starting pitcher Kuri pitched a tenacious five innings, runs only four hit and one run while strike out out three, earning his fourth win, tying him with Espinoza for the most wins on the team. "I was helped by fielder' defense, which allowed me to persevere and pitch. I want to make sure I can pitch even one more inning next time," he reflected.

From the sixth inning onward, Teranishi, Yoshida, Mukunoki, and Machado combined for a scoreless runs effort. Machado recorded his 11th consecutive save since his appearance against Softbank Hawks on April 19th (at Mizuho PayPay Dome), breaking the team record for consecutive games with a save, which had stood for 21 years and was previously held by Katsunobu Okubo in 2005.