◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Hiroshima 2-2 Orix Buffaloes = extra inning due to 12 innings rule = (May 5th, Mazda Stadium)

Orix Buffaloes was unable to end their three-game losing streak with their first draw of the season. In the seventh inning, with a one-run lead, their third pitcher, Teranishi, gave up two runs due to errors. In the ninth inning, Nishikawa's sacrifice fly fly to left field tied the game, but they were unable to take the lead.

In June, they suffered three losses and one draw. Coach Kishida said, "We've had a really tough run of games, but everyone has been persevering. The fact that we didn't lose was really significant. There were various mistakes, but today it wasn't about those things; everyone showed a real determination not to lose." He was determined to look ahead.

From the 10th extra inning, Machado pitched for the third time in two years, taking on the role of closer. In the 11th inning, he faced a dangerous situation with two outs and a runner on third base, but managed to hold them scoreless. The manager saluted the closer who pitched for the team, saying, "He volunteered to go in. It was a huge help."

In pitcher staff, ace Miyagi and Yamashita are out for the rest of the season due to elbow surgery. Among fielder, following Hirooka and Moritomo, even Watanabe, who had secured a regular position in center field, was removed from the roster on this day due to a lower body injury. In this precarious situation with a string of injuries, the team's interleague record is 4 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw. Regarding Watanabe, they explained that he will undergo an examination at the hospital, but "we don't know the results yet. We will let you know once the results are available."