◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 3-1 Rakuten Eagles (May 5th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes won two consecutive games against Rakuten Eagles, securing the series win. Ota, who injured his left wrist in the game against Rakuten Eagles on the 3rd (Tokyo Dome) and was substituted out, started on the bench and did not play. He had participated in batting practice before the game, and manager Mamoru Kishida revealed that the injury was minor, saying, "I've heard that it's nothing serious. He was on the bench today, so we asked him to rest."

Despite missing key players, the batting lineup managed 5 hit and 3 runs. Nishikawa hit his 7th solo home run, Nakagawa grounded out to second base, and Wakatsuki hit sacrifice fly to left field, demonstrating efficient offense. Regarding his participation in games after the Rakuten Eagles game on the 6th (Kyocera Dome Osaka), manager Kishida emphasized, "We will proceed while monitoring his condition."