◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026: Nippon-Ham 5-9 Chunichi (14th, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham lost to Chunichi, ending their nine-game winning streak. Their lead in the interleague series is now six games. Their record in the interleague series is 13 wins and 4 losses. As Softbank Hawks finished their entire schedule with a 14-4 record, the outcome of the interleague championship will depend on the result of the final game on the 16th (against Hiroshima at Mazda Stadium), which includes the league leaders Seibu Lions, who have a 13-3-1 record.

After the game, manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) commented on Fukutani, who closer retired the side in order for six innings but then gave up three runs on two consecutive Home Run in the seventh inning, allowing the opposing team to take the lead. He said, "Fukutani-kun did a great job pitching six innings with just six pitches, and I had high expectations for him. But up until now, all of our reliever pitchers have been doing a pretty perfect job closer the opposing team, so these kinds of days happen." He praised reliever pitchers' hard work up to this point and looked ahead to the future.

He left his chances of winning his first title for the final race, saying, "There's still a possibility, so I'd like to win and get some pocket money for the support staff. But you never know until you try." He aims to win the 30 million yen prize money, never forgetting to express his gratitude to the team staff for their hard work.