On June 16th at 6 PM, the third game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026" between Hanshin Tigers and the Saitama Seibu Lions will be held at Koshien.

[Head-to-head record] Hanshin Tigers (Central League 2nd place) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (Pacific League 1st place): 0 wins, 2 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hanshin Tigers: pitcher Hiroto Saiki, 11 games, 5 wins, 3 losses, ERA 3.69
Saitama Seibu Lions: Natsuki Takeuchi pitcher 9 games, 4 wins, 2 losses, ERA 2.96

In this game, the Saitama Seibu Lions, who will clinch their first ever interleague championship with a draw or better, will have pitcher Natsuki Takeuchi on the mound as their starter. In his previous start (against Hiroshima on the 9th), he didn't get the win or the loss, but he pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 hit and 3 runs, fulfilling his role as a starter. This will be his first career matchup against Hanshin Tigers, so can he lead his team to win with a good pitching performance?

　Masayuki Kuwahara has had a good performance against Hanshin Tigers Tigers, hit 3-At Bat-8 with a batting average of .375 in two games. In the same series on June 4th, he got hit in the first inning, creating a scoring opportunity. He will be looking to provide early support for pitcher Takeuchi in this game as well.