◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Lotte 3x-2 Chunichi (11th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte won the game in the 10th inning with a extra inning win, taking the win in their three-game series against walk-off. With two outs and runners on Chunichi third base, Toshiya Sato hit a walk-walk-off single to right field. After being showered with water in celebration, Sato expressed his joy in the post-game hero interview, saying, "It feels so good! I'm so happy!"

hit Starter Kojima pitched 5 2/3 innings, throwing 91 pitches, and earned a winning pitcher after a hard-fought pitch against a 7 runs and a 7 strike out, but Shota Suzuki gave up a game-tying home run to Sano in the 8th inning, preventing him from securing his third win.

In the first inning, Kojima gave up a single to left field to leadoff hitter Okabayashi, then allowed another single to left field to Abe with two outs, putting runners on first and second and putting himself in a jam. Still, he continued to throw powerful fastballs to Sano and eventually got him to fly out to right field.In the fourth inning, with two outs, Hosokawa connected on a hanging fastball, hitting a home run and cutting the lead to one run. Through the fifth inning, he allowed a runner on base in every inning (hit), but he tightened up in key moments and kept the damage to a minimum (runs).

In the bottom of the sixth inning with a one-run lead and two outs, Kojima was replaced when he faced Hosokawa, who had given up Home Run to Japan. Kojima showed his displeasure with the decision to replace him, kicking mound and shaking his head, and after being taken out of the game, he was seen talking at length with manager Saburo in the dugout. Manager Saburo explained, "I thought we could have kept him in a little longer, but my motto is to make changes as soon as possible."

Second pitcher Ono scored a struck out run off Hosokawa, and in the seventh inning with a one-run lead, Shunsuke Nakamori pitcher advanced to mound as the third pitcher. He was in trouble with Walk and single hit, and with two outs and runners on second and third, he allowed Ukai to hit a ball to left field, but left fielder Nishikawa saved the team with a diving catch. The relief team held firm, but in the eighth inning, with two outs, Shota Suzuki gave up a game-tying home run to Sano. mound Above, they wore stunned expressions, causing an uproar at the home ground. Still, in the end, the reliable fan key played a crucial role in securing the match.