◆ Pacific League: Orix Buffaloes vs. Rakuten Eagles (3rd, Tokyo Dome)

Orix Buffaloes will host a home game at Tokyo Dome for the first time in 17 years on the 3rd against Rakuten Eagles. It will be the first day of the annual "Bs Summer Battle" and the ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Joichiro Fujiwara of the popular idol group "Naniwa Danshi" and former team player Yoshitomo Tani. With over 40,000 tickets almost completely sold out, the excitement is already building before the game, and Executive Officer and General Manager of Business Division Koji Yamamoto revealed the intention behind the "revival" of hosting a game at the stadium.

He began by explaining, "Since winning three consecutive championships from 2021, the number The Buffaloes fans has increased not only in Kansai but throughout Japan." Looking at the number of fan club members by prefecture, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama rank after Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto. After the three consecutive championships, the total number of members has increased three to four times. He said that they have been considering for about a year how to convey the appeal of The Buffaloes to fans in the Tokyo metropolitan area and then to fans throughout Japan.

Seibu Lions The team played a three-game series at Belluna Dome in Saitama through the 2nd. “With this ‘Summer Campaign’ coming up, the Giants (The Giants) were kind enough to let us use Tokyo Dome. We also received various forms of support from our corporate sponsors, so the timing worked out perfectly,” he said, noting that the schedule aligned well. Tokyo Dome We also received encouraging support from the Pacific League Rakuten Eagles, the Lotte Marines, and the Softbank Hawks—all teams that host games at the same stadium—who told us, “With The Buffaloes ’s current strength, you can definitely fill the stadium to capacity.”“On the first day of the ‘Summer Campaign,’ we’ll be distributing (limited-edition) jerseys to fans in the Tokyo metropolitan area,” the team announced, aiming to delight the Kanto-based Orix fans—who have boasted a fan club membership retention rate of nearly 100% even since 2024, when the team’s three-peat came to an end.

On this day, approximately 500 people were waiting at the special merchandise booth set up outside the stadium before it even opened. The line continued to grow, reaching a peak of about 800 fans. "We were a little worried because it was a weekday Monday, but ticket sales were good from the start. It was reassuring, and I think this game made us realize that the number of fans in Tokyo is increasing," said the department head. The plan is to continue holding the event in the coming years, provided the dates align.