◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Yakult 1-0 Lotte (3rd, Jingu Stadium)

Lotte suffered their eighth shutout loss, tying them with Orix Buffaloes for the most in the league. They missed their chance for a third consecutive win and were unable to pay off their deficit for the first time since April 4th.

Starting pitcher Mori (Meiji University), a second-round draft pick left-hander, allowed five hit and two Walk, giving up no runs despite having runner on base in every inning. He pitched well on the Jingu Stadium mound, which he was very familiar with from his time at Meiji University, but he was unable to secure his third win of the season, which would have been his first since the game Seibu Lions on May 3rd.

The batting lineup was unable to break through Yakult starting left-handed pitcher, Takahashi. In the first inning, with two outs, Nishikawa hit a single to center hit, but Yamaguchi grounded out to third base. The offense ended with only three batters in each of the second through fifth innings, and in the sixth inning, with two outs and a runner on first, Sato flied out to right field, resulting in no runs scored. Through the seventh inning, they were closer just two hit and no Hit by Pitch.

Takano, who replaced Mori, gave up a crucial home run to Masuda in the 6th inning. Kojima will start in Game 3 on the 4th, which will determine whether they win the series against Yakult.