◆パ・リーグ　オリックス０―７日本ハム（１８日・京セラドーム大阪）

Nippon-Ham secured a decisive victory, extending their winning streak against Orix Buffaloes to six games. Their lead in the standings is now 10 games. Starting pitcher Hosono earned his third win of the season, pitching seven hit innings, allowing only four runs.

In the ninth, although the lead was 7 runs, they brought in Shibata, a sophomore after high school, and closer the first inning with no runs. After the game, manager Shinjo was asked about Shibata's future closer usage and said, "No, no, no. That's not true. It's a starter. There are some who have to hit. These 10 games up to the All-Star break? Move inside a bit. It's better than staying in the farm team. I was thinking about what happens after watching pitch. He also has to bat, you know," he said, denying closer.

Also, Yi-Lei Sun who pitched in the 8th inning, pitch a perfect inning. He had been pitching as a starter this season, but was promoted to reliever on this day. The manager revealed that he promoted Sun Yilei to reliever, saying, "No, he's a starter. We were thinking of replacing Tatsu." Taking into account that it is only a temporary reliever role, he added, "He has a lot of power, so he's definitely a starter. We've given him a lot of experience, and he's probably seen what Tatsu is doing. I think the mindset of a starting pitcher who sets up the game and steps up in important situations will be a huge plus in their lives going forward. Maybe we should all do that (laughs)." He also expressed his expectations for Sun Yilei as reliever.