The 8th game between Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Chiba Lotte Marines will be held at Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi on May 24th at 13:00.

[Head-to-head record] Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (6th place) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place): 2 wins, 5 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: pitcher Masaru Fujii: 3 games, 0 wins, 1 loss, ERA 3.00
Chiba Lotte Marines: Long pitcher: 0 wins, 1 loss in 14 games, ERA 2.04

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, currently on a five-game losing streak, will entrust the starting mound to pitcher Masaru Fujii. In their previous encounter on April 17th, he pitched well, throwing 92 pitches over 6 innings, allowing only 2 hit, 1 Walk strike out up 2 runs. He hasn't secured a win so far this season, but he'll be hoping for offensive support with a tenacious pitch. Offensively, Naoki Sato has recorded hit in both games of this series. He also boasts a .345 batting average against left-handed pitcher, so he may be the starting point of the offense as they try to break through the opposing lefty.

Chiba Lotte Marines 's long pitcher will be making his second start since arriving in Japan, after an eight-day rest. In his previous start, he pitched 5.0 innings, throwing 80 pitches, allowing 2 hit, 3 Walk strike out 2, and giving up 2 runs, but he didn't get a win or runs. However, he did show his ability to induce ground pitch, including hit 1-hit pitch through 5 innings. Can pitch his team, which is riding a wave of momentum after overcoming a 4-run deficit in the top of the 9th inning to secure their third consecutive win the previous day, to win in this final game before the interleague series?

Written by Ao Yokoyama