◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Seibu Lions 1-2 The Giants (13th, Belluna Dome)

Seibu Lions pitcher Chihiro Sumida delivered a passionate performance, throwing 115 pitches over nine innings, allowing six hit and two runs while striking out 13 strike out. However, he was unable to secure his sixth win due to a lack of run support.

In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on second base, he gave up a timely doble to Dalbec, allowing the opposing team to score first. In the second inning, with the score tied and one out, he gave up a go-ahead solo home run to Richard. According to NPB+, the ball that was hit was a 148 km/h fastball that was outside the strike zone low and inside. "It's incredibly frustrating. To have a ball hit for Home Run... I don't want to accept it, and I'm at a loss for words," he said, biting his lip.

He volunteered to continue pitching in the ninth inning. Manager Nishiguchi praised the left-hander, saying, "Sumida pitched really well. He's pitcher always has a strong desire to pitch, so he's a reliable asset to the team." However, Sumida took full responsibility for lose, saying, "I think the team is aiming to win the interleague series, so it's my responsibility that we couldn't win that. I was more focused on winning than on the content of the game, so I really wanted to win."