◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 7-2 Lotte (5th, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Softbank Hawks pitcher Haru Matsumoto earned his fifth win of the season, allowing only two runs in five innings.

After giving up two struck out s in the first inning, he allowed a two-run doble to Fujiwara with one out and runners on second and third in the third inning, but he hung in there and pitched through five innings.

He also pitched against Kojima in the game against Lotte on June 28th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium), giving up 3 runs in 5 innings and receiving a no-decision. He gave up one fewer runs than in his previous outing, and contributed to the team's victory. Manager Kokubo commented, "Today he gave up one fewer run than last time, and the game didn't come to a tie. I think he's grown a bit."

However, Haru Matsumoto has been pulled from the game after five innings in all five of his appearances. While praising his tenacious pitching, the manager also expressed his expectations, saying, "(What do you want him to overcome?) Everything. We need him to do it. He still has a lot of room to grow." Haru Matsumoto also acknowledged the positive takeaway, saying, "Being able to hold on was a plus," but added with renewed determination, "I still have a long way to go, so I want to pitch with the mindset of overcoming one hurdle at a time." He will continue to grow and use that momentum to his advantage in his next appearance.