◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: The Giants 8-2 Lotte (May 5th, Tokyo Dome)

Lotte managed to strike back when infielder Neftalí Soto hit his 200th career home run in NPB history with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, becoming the 116th player in history to do so, when they were on the verge of being shut out.

Starting pitcher Koshichiro Hiroike pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up 4 hit and 4 runs, failing to control the game.

His expression, as he watched the opposing bench erupt in jubilation, betrayed his frustration. Hiroike’s pitching collapsed in the middle innings. After giving up the first run in the fifth inning on a four-Hit by Pitch, he tried to regroup in the sixth. He allowed a single to left field by the leadoff batter, Izumiguchi, and then gave up a stolen base on the second pitch to Urata.Urata then hit a fastball on the fourth pitch for a single to right field. With no outs and runners on first and third, the jam widened, and just as he gave up a run-scoring single to center field by Sasaki, Manager Saburo signaled for him to be pulled. “I don’t think my fastball was bad, even by my own standards.However, my control slipped in a crucial moment, and I hit the leadoff batter with a pitch. I think situations like that will continue to runs affect me, and I felt that I need the ability to stay focused and pitch in those kinds of moments. I also realized once again that count when my fastball is off, having a reliable breaking ball makes it harder for batters to lock in on a specific pitch," he reflected.

The day before the game, he had been eager to face off against Urata of The Giants, with whom he had competed fiercely in the Kyushu university baseball scene during his time at Tokai University Kyushu. "I've faced Urata many times in college, so I'll do my best not to lose." He allowed a single to the second hitter, with whom he had a rivalry, in the first inning, giving up multiple hit. It was a complete defeat.

Yagi, who took over from Hiroike, was unable to stop the momentum of the Giants' ignited offense. With the score 0-3 and bases loaded sweep-clearing doble to Nakayama, and together with Hiroike, they gave up a total of five runs in that inning. They just couldn't hold on.