On June 4th at 6 PM, the second game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between Hiroshima and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will be held at Mazda Stadium.

[Head-to-head record] Hiroshima (Central League 5th place) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (Pacific League 4th place): 1 win, 0 losses, 0 draws

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hiroshima: Shohei Mori pitcher 3 games, 0 wins, 0 losses, ERA 1.59
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters: Leo Shibata- 7 games, 2 wins, 0 losses, 0.73 ERA (minor league stats)

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham is in its second year. Leo Shibata The player will make his first appearance of the season. Last season, he pitched in four games for the first team, starting three of them, and posted an ERA of 2.92. Can he achieve his long-awaited first professional win in his first interleague game?

We also have high hopes for Shibata's performance as a two-way player. This season, he has a batting average of .170 and Home Run runs in 39 games in the minor leagues, but 6 of his 19 hit have been extra-base hits, showing his power. Will he get his first hit in his first professional at-bat?

Written by Ryo Aritake