◆ Pacific League: Softbank Hawks vs. Orix Buffaloes (21st, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Orix Buffaloes pitcher Raiku Katayama has been scheduled to start against Softbank Hawks on the 22nd (at Mizuho PayPay Dome). In his second year as a professional, he has appeared in 13 games as a reliever and made his first start against Rakuten Eagles on the 15th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi), where he pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing 4 hit 2 runs. He will be taking mound after a 6-day rest against league leaders Softbank Hawks. "Nothing in particular will change in what I do or think about; I'll go in with the same feeling as last time. It doesn't matter if they're batting 1st, 4th, or 9th, the important thing is to throw my pitches to everyone," he said, visualizing the game.

On the 20th, his alma mater, Shirakaba Gakuen, defeated Clark in the North Hokkaido tournament final, becoming the first team in the nation to qualify for the Summer Koshien tournament for the fifth time in two years. "Their skills have improved considerably since our time. They've only managed one win Koshien so far, so I hope they become regulars and a consistently winning team," he said, offering his support. He intends to put on a great pitching performance, drawing strength from the success of his juniors.