◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: The Giants 2-1 Orix Buffaloes (June 4th, Tokyo Dome)

Orix Buffaloes suffered a heartbreaking three-game sweep against The Giants. Starting pitcher Espinoza had pitched brilliantly, throwing 96 pitches over seven innings and allowing only one runs, but he ran out of steam in the eighth inning. After walking the leadoff batter, he put doble on second with one Walk and allowed a go-ahead double to Izumiguchi. Manager Mamoru Kishida commented, "It started with a walk to the leadoff Walk, and a bad atmosphere settled in..." He accepted the reality with dignity.

"I'd say they really finished us off. It was a do-or-die situation, and we were beaten." The Giants, who had been on a six-game winning streak since 2014, swept them in three straight games, reducing their lead to five games. The gap with first-place Seibu Lions widened to 3.5 games.