On July 15th at 13:00, ES CON FIELD will feature a 13-round match between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Fukuoka Softbank.

[Head-to-head Record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place) vs Fukuoka Softbank (1st place) 1 win, 11 losses

[Announced Starting Lineup]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Takayuki Kato pitcher 13 games, 9 wins, 1 loss, ERA 2.57
Fukuoka Softbank: C. Stewart Jr. pitcher 10 games, 5 wins, 3 losses, ERA 5.17

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham 's announced starting pitcher is Takayuki Kato pitcher, who is on a 7-game winning streak. This season, ES CON FIELD has five undefeated wins and a mound with a ERA of 2.01, a perfect matchup, facing the Hawks' lineup. This is their first appearance in Fukuoka Softbank game this season, since last August. Can they record their fastest 10th win Pacific League?

Fukuoka Softbank 's C. Stewart Jr. pitcher is on a three-game winning streak. This is his third appearance in Hokkaido Nippon-Ham game this season. Looking back at their last encounter on June 20, they closer to two hit through the fourth inning, but in the fifth inning, they gave up a home run to Kengo Yoshida and were unfortunately replaced midway through the fifth inning with three runs. It's been about a month since their first rematch, but to gain the upper hand, they want to fulfill their role as a starter.

In fielder, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Chusei Mannami are "1" away from reaching 100 Home Run in pro career, and Fukuoka Softbank and Ukyo Shuto are "1" away from 250 stolen base. Whether the moment of this remarkable achievement will arrive remains to be seen.

Text by Ayako Kikuchi