The 10th game between the Saitama Seibu Lions and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will be held at Belluna Dome on June 26th at 6 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Saitama Seibu Lions (1st place) vs. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place): 5 wins, 4 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Saitama Seibu Lions: pitcher Kosei Takahashi, 11 games, 7 wins (tied for 2nd), 3 losses, ERA 1.23 (1st)
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: pitcher Hiromi Ito 13 games, 8 wins (1st place), 3 losses, ERA 2.78

The starting pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions will be Kosei Takahashi. So far this season, he has a remarkable record of 5 wins and 1 loss in 6 home games, achieving a quality start in all of them, and boasts an outstanding ERA of 0.84. In their previous encounter (April 29th), he pitched 7 innings, hit 100 pitches, allowing only 4 hits and 1 Walk strike out 4, and giving up no runs, pitcher win. The right-hander has recorded 3 complete game, tied for the league lead, and we can expect him to deliver a strong performance as he commented, "I want to pitch long inning and contribute to win so that I can bring good momentum to the team."

On the opposing side, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will start pitcher Hiromi Ito. In his previous start, he pitched well, throwing 100 pitches over 6 innings, allowing only 4 hit, 3 Walk strike out 10, and giving up only 2 runs, leading his team to their first win of the season against Fukuoka Softbank and demonstrating his ace status. In the batting lineup, Yuki Nomura, who boasts a monthly batting average of .310 in June, is in good form, having hit two Home Run in the previous game. Will he be able to hit a home run to celebrate his 27th birthday?

Written by Ao Yokoyama