◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 3-6 Softbank Hawks (July 7th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes 's Seymour is in trouble. He was brought in as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning with two outs and the bases bases loaded, trailing by three runs, but grounded out to the shortstop. Since hitting doble in the game against Lotte on May 6th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), he has gone 39 consecutive at-bats without hit, unable to break his slump.

Manager Mamoru Kishida showed a stern expression, saying, "I sent them out hoping for a home run, but..." He also mentioned the earlier opportunity with one out and runner on first and second, in which Ota hit a single to right field. He added, "He could have made it home. There are mistakes, but they need to be more careful and not leave any gaps. I want them to do it in a way that will lead to future success," demanding improvements including improved base running awareness.

In the 7th inning, with one out and runners on first and second base, pinch hitter Nakagawa for Watanabe hit a fly ball to right field. Then, with two outs and runners on first and third base, Hiranuma came to bat in place of the in-form Sugisawa, but grounded out to first base. Sugisawa had been hitting particularly well, but the manager explained, "He seemed a little off." They were overtaken by Lotte in winning percentage and dropped to 5th place.