◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 6-0 Orix Buffaloes (August 1st, ES CON FIELD)

Orix Buffaloes suffered their tenth shutout game loss of the season. They couldn't even get a runner on second base against Takashi Kato, and have now lost all three games against opposing left-handed pitchers. They also handed over three wins (one loss) to Kitayama, whom they faced on June 30th. Manager Mamoru Kishida suppressed his frustration, saying, "We just couldn't hit them," but took a positive outlook on the pitch of starting pitcher Tajima.

In the June 24 game against the Softbank Hawks (at Mizuho PayPay Dome), he was pulled in the middle of the second inning with a line of 6 runs. Given the opportunity to pitch six days later, he allowed 4 runs over seven innings, suffering his fourth loss. However, he emphasized, “He had some good fastballs, and breaking ball was really working hard to keep the ball ‘low, low.’He was throwing with good arm action, and I think he put on a good show,” he emphasized. “The results didn’t go his way, but I think he showed some good stuff,” he added.