On June 14th at 2 PM, the third game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between Chiba Lotte Marines and Yokohama DeNA will be held at Zozo Marine Stadium.

[Head-to-head record] Chiba Lotte Marines (Pacific League, 5th place) vs. Yokohama DeNA (Central League, 4th place): 1 win, 1 loss

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Chiba Lotte Marines: Long pitcher 17 games, 0 wins, 2 losses, ERA 4.23
Yokohama DeNA: pitcher Shuto Ogata, 2 games, 1 win, 0 losses, ERA 0.90

Chiba Lotte Marines, aiming for their second consecutive series win, will entrust the starting mound to their long-serving pitcher. He has a 1.69 ERA in 8 appearances at home. Since switching to a starting role, he has pitched 9.0 inning in 2 home games, allowing only 2 earned runs runs. His .321 batting average against left-handed Avg is a concern, but it will be interesting to see how he pitch against the heart of the batting order, including Keita Sano and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo.

The batting lineup will be looking to Kyuto Ueda and Aito, who both delivered consecutive RBI hits in the game on the 13th. Ueda was promoted back to the first team on the 10th and recorded his first RBI of the season. Aito also hit triple, his first in five seasons since 2021. Both players have put up outstanding numbers in the farm league, so they will be looking to make a name for themselves on the first team stage.

Written by Ao Yokoyama