On June 10th at 6 PM, the second game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Yokohama DeNA BayStars will be held at ES CON FIELD.

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

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Takayuki Kato pitcher 9 games, 5 wins, 1 loss, 2.98 ERA
Yokohama DeNA: Yutaro Ishida pitcher 10 games, 3 wins, 5 losses, ERA 1.93

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham starting pitcher, Takayuki Kato, made his reliever appearance in four years in his last start (against Hiroshima on the 3rd). He pitched well, throwing 29 pitches over 2 innings, allowing only 1 hit, no Hit by Pitch hit pitcher, and no runs. His last start was against Hanshin Tigers on May 27th, where he pitched 5 innings, throwing 77 pitches, allowing 7 hit 1 Walk 2 runs, earning win.

In the batting lineup, keep an eye on Shun Shun Mizutani. He was sidelined due to a fracture in the April 19th game but made his return to the first team in the previous game. He started as the leadoff hitter and left fielder and got his first hit since his return in his second at-bat. Can the 2024 Interleague MVP become the catalyst for the team?

Text by Rian Ueno