On June 30th at 6 PM, Fukuoka Softbank will play the 12th game of their series against the Saitama Seibu Lions Lions at Tokyo Dome. The two teams, currently vying for first place, are separated by just one game. What will be the outcome of this three-game series?

[Head-to-head record] Fukuoka Softbank (2nd place) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (1st place): 3 wins, 8 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Fukuoka Softbank: Naoyuki Uwasawa pitcher 9 games, 3 wins, 3 losses, 2.82 ERA
Saitama Seibu Lions: Kaima Taira pitcher 11 games, 5 wins, 1 loss, 0.89 ERA

Fukuoka Softbank 's starting pitcher is Naoyuki Uwasawa. He was temporarily sidelined from mid-May and returned to the first team on the 23rd of this month. He pitch five innings against Orix Buffaloes, allowing four hit and two Walk. This will be his first matchup against Saitama Seibu Lions this season, but last season he had a perfect record of four wins and a 2.16 ERA. Although they are a tough opponent that the team has lost significantly against this season, he will be hoping to demonstrate his good form again and lead his team to first place.

Saitama Seibu Lions 's starting pitcher will be Kaima Taira who has been pitching well so far with ERA of 0.89. In his last start against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, he struggled somewhat with control, issuing 4 Walk in 5 innings, but can he make the necessary adjustments for this important game? In the batting lineup, Natsuo Takizawa has a batting average of .346 against this opponent. Since the league season resumed, he has had a stable performance with 10 At Bat 35 hit for a batting average of .286, and we can expect him to make good use of his speed in this game as well.

Written by Kai Nagi Niwa