◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes vs. Lotte (25th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes pitcher Alen Kuri has been scheduled to start in the game against Lotte on the 26th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). Most recently he has pitched against Softbank Hawks on the 8th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), against Rakuten Eagles on the 14th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi), and against Nippon-Ham on the 20th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). Despite the unusual schedule of three consecutive starts with only five days rest between starts, he remains calm, saying, "It's completely business as usual. I just want to be able to perform at my best on mound."

At this point, he has completed 108 inning, the second most in Pacific League. "If I'm in the starting rotation, I can only take mound once a week. I have to approach it with awareness and responsibility," he said, demonstrating extraordinary toughness in pitcher staff where aces Miyagi and Yamashita are absent due to elbow surgery.

Nevertheless, he chuckled, "When I play with kids, I realize they have more stamina than me. Kids' energy is limitless. I need to build up my own stamina so I can beat them." He added, "The most important thing is to pitch in a way that contributes to the team's victory. If that results in being able to inning a solid number of innings, then that's great." He will continue to demonstrate his determination to "never leave mound" even in the final game of the first half of the season.