The first game of the "Nippon Life Central-Pacific Interleague Series 2026" between the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and the Chunichi will take place on June 12 at 6:00 PM at ES CON FIELD.

[Last Season's Head-to-Head Record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham vs. Chunichi: 2 wins, 1 loss

[Announced Starting Pitchers]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Haruki Hosono vs. pitcher: 7 games, 1 win, 4 losses; ERA: 3.53
Chunichi: Yuya Yanagi pitcher 11 games, 4-1, ERA 1.90

Starting Pitcher Haruki Hosono pitcher This will be his first first-team appearance since May 23. Since achieving a no hitter on March 31, he has been unable to secure a win and is currently on a four-game losing streak. This will be his first matchup against Chunichi, but he hopes to deliver a strong performance and earn his first win in about two and a half months.

The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham currently sit in third place in the Interleague standings with an 11-3 record. Their Interleague performance has been highlighted by a ERA ERA in the 1.00s and the pitcher staff’s strong showing. In particular, closer Taisei Yanagawa pitcher has recorded 6 saves, and setup man Seigi Tanaka pitcher runs win has gone 7 games without allowing a run in the Interleague Play. With this reliable bullpen, they are pulling the team back into contention.

Text by Kana Niwa