◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 4-0 Orix Buffaloes (August 1st, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham won their fourth straight game, increasing their lead to a season-high 11 games and maintaining a two-game deficit behind the league leaders.

In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on third, cleanup hitter Manami hit a jammed RBI single to right field to score the first run. In the fourth inning, Castro hit triple to center field to create another scoring opportunity, and Tamiya hit an RBI single to center field to add another run.

In the sixth inning, Manami hit his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot over left field, and in the seventh inning, Martinez hit his 2nd home run of the season, a solo shot over left field. They pulled away with a barrage of home runs.

Starting pitcher Takashi Kato utilized his exceptional control to deliver a well-paced performance. He pitched nine innings, allowing only three hit no walk, securing his sixth consecutive win and his first shutout game of the season, bringing his total to eight wins, tying him with Ito and Kitayama for the league lead.