The second game of the "Nippon Life Central-Pacific Interleague Series 2026" between Chunichi and Fukuoka Softbank will be held on June 3 at 6:00 PM at Vantelin Dome.

[Series Record] Chunichi (Central 6th) vs. Fukuoka Softbank (Pacific 3rd) 0-1

[Starting Pitchers]
Chunichi: Yorinosuke Sakurai (pitcher: 7 games, 1-3; ERA: 5.64)
Fukuoka Softbank pitcher: Haru Matsumoto (8 games, 3-2), ERA (3.38)

Fukuoka Softbank is Haru Matsumoto pitcher scheduled to start. In his last start (May 23 vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham), he pitched 5 innings, throwing 89 pitches with 7 hit 1 Walk 1 runs, delivering a pitch performance that shut down key moments and earned his third win. This will be his first matchup against Chunichi. He is expected to deliver another pitch performance in this game, leading the team to a season-high 6-game winning streak.

In the batting lineup, Yudai Shoji. In the previous game, he started batting second short stop and created scoring opportunities with a 2-hit 1-Walk performance. Shoji is in fine form with a .339 batting average. He is likely to create scoring opportunities in this game as well.

Text by Aoi Nemoto