The first game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between the Yomiuri Giants and Chiba Lotte Marines The Giants will be held at Tokyo Dome on June 5th at 6 PM.

[Last season's head-to-head record] The Giants vs. Chiba Lotte Marines: 0 wins, 3 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
The Giants: Inoue Haruto (pitcher 8 games, 4 wins, 4 losses, 3.09 ERA
Chiba Lotte Marines: Koshiro Hiroike pitcher 8 games, 2 wins, 1 loss, ERA 2.85

Chiba Lotte Marines 's starting pitcher Koshiro Hiroike. In his last start (May 28th against Hiroshima), he pitched 6 innings, threw 85 pitches, allowed 6 hit and 2 runs (1 earned runs), and earned his second consecutive win. He has also achieved a quality start in 3 out of 4 games in May, and his good form continues. He will be looking to pitch a full inning in his first start against The Giants.

On the offensive side, Soto recorded 3 hit 3 RBI, including a go-ahead RBI single, in the previous day's game, making a significant contribution to the team's win. His batting average in interleague play so far is .278; the question is whether he can improve his performance even further from here.

Written by Yokazu Sonoda