◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: DeNA 1-7 Orix Buffaloes (May 26, Yokohama)

Orix Buffaloes pitcher Alen Kuri earned his fifth win of the season, tying him with Espinoza for the most wins on the team, by pitching eight innings, runs only three hit and one run while strike out seven. He kept the DeNA lineup at bay with a tenacious 115-pitch performance, securing his third consecutive win. However, he seemed reluctant to leave mound, saying, "I always have the determination to pitch until the very end, so I want to continue doing that without changing that."

Until 2024, he played for Hiroshima in Central League. "He's a really good hitter. I was determined to challenge him in the strike zone without hesitation, so I'm glad that worked out well," he said, striking out DeNA's Miyazaki, who was batting fourth, three times in struck out row and not letting him do anything. In the sixth inning, he threw a super slow 60 km/h curveball on the first pitch to Watari. "I thought I'd throw the slowest pitch I could (laughs). I wasn't afraid of him in any way, and it was a good way to change his perspective, so I was able to finish with a good result," he said, striking out Watari struck out.

On this day, catcher Wakatsuki became the pro baseball 544th player to play 1,000 games. I'm not in crazy good shape, but Kenya really gave me a good lead with all kinds of balls. We were able to win the game in which Kenya played his 1,000th game, so that was good," he said, expressing his gratitude to his wife's role.

The team started their bid for their first interleague championship in five years with a win, scoring seven runs. "Iron Arm Allen," in his 13th year as a pro, looked ahead, saying, "We're all doing our best to win each and every game. I want to do my best to contribute to the team's victory in my next appearance on the mound."