◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 3-0 Rakuten Eagles (12th, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Rakuten Eagles lost to Softbank Hawks, suffering their second consecutive defeat.

In his first appearance in the first team in about three weeks, starting pitcher Kosha gave up the first run in the first inning when he allowed a timely single to left field to Kurihara with one out and runners on first and third. In the third inning, with one out and a runner on first, he gave up a two-run homer to Kurihara to right field, extending the lead. He then pitched tenaciously, leaving the game after six innings, having given up six hit and strike out runs and striking out six. Regarding the left-hander, manager Yoshii said, "Considering it was his first appearance in a long time after rehabilitation, and against the league-leading The Hawks, I think he did well to give up three runs in six innings." He added, "If you look at the details, he's not the Kosha we know at his best, so I want him to practice hard and do his best," expressing his hope for further improvement.

The batting lineup struggled against the starting pitcher, Softbank Hawks, Haru Matsumoto. In the first inning, they created a scoring opportunity with one out and runners on first and second, but the red-hot McCusker grounded out to third double play.After that, they fell silent. The manager reflected, “We were completely closer, so aside from Nakajima (3 hit), the only hit was Waters’ potential hit. We’ll come up with a strategy, and I think we’ll be able to hit him again next time.”

In the batting lineup, Asamura has been in a slump since June. In July, he has only managed 2 hit in 30 At Bat-bats over 9 games. He hasn't been able to hit any home runs, and his characteristic power hitting hasn't been on display. Manager Yoshii said, "He's such a great player, so he's been working hard with the coaches and analysts to come up with a plan before practice. He's not getting results right now, but I think that kind of attitude will have a positive influence on the younger players, so even though he's been having a tough time at the plate for a while, I want him to keep trying his best," expressing his hope for Asamura's recovery.

On this day, Muneyama started on the bench. He had been playing in every game since returning to the first team after a long absence, so the decision was made with his condition in mind. The manager explained, "Considering his condition? Yes, it was his first time on artificial turf in a while, so we decided to give him a rest before it got too bad, and the plan was to have him come in from the second half today."