◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Lotte 6-16 DeNA (13th, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Lotte manager Saburo (50) revealed after the game that he plans to remove Haruya Tanaka, who started the game but gave up 7 runs in 1 1/3 innings and suffered his fifth loss, from the active roster as early as the 14th.

Manager Saburo entrusted Tanaka with the starting role in a game where a win would give the team a one-game lead, but Tanaka's pitch was disappointing. "I was disappointed. I'm not going to give him a starting spot anymore. I'm going to tell him to get solid results in the minor leagues and earn it himself. It's the same every time, his tempo is bad, he can't throw strike, and when he does, he gets hit. He's causing trouble for everyone, so I want him to fix that. We all worked hard to get to a 50% winning percentage, and it's disappointing that it ended up like this," he said, speaking harshly to the fourth-year right-hander who has a 1-5 ERA and a 4.83 ERA this season.

The game against DeNA on the 14th is the final game of the interleague series. If they win, their record for the season will be 31 wins, 31 losses, and 2 ties, bringing their winning percentage back to 50%, and they will be ready to resume the regular season. "We have one more chance, so I want to win tomorrow (the 14th) and finish with a 50% winning percentage," he vowed.