◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 4-1 Orix Buffaloes (August 1st, Belluna Dome)

Having dropped to third place the previous night, Seibu Lions won a close game and rose back to second place overnight. They ended their two-game losing streak and started August with a win.

In the seventh inning, trailing by one run after the opposing team’s pitcher was replaced, with one out and a runner on first, An-Ko Lin outfielder hit an RBI doble to left-center field to tie the game. With one out and a runner on third, the team capitalized on a mistake by the opposing defense to take the lead. In the eighth inning, with no outs and bases loaded on base, Natsuo Takizawa infielder hit an RBI single to center field, adding two more runs.

Coach Nishiguchi praised his team for winning the close game, saying, "We couldn't score many runs in the early stages, but I'm glad we were able to come back like this in the final stages." He also added, "Last year we were really defeated by the heat and our performance suffered, so we want to work hard this time to not be defeated by the heat."