◆ Pacific League Orix Buffaloes 1-3 Rakuten Eagles (June 6th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes 's offense was sluggish, scoring only one run, and they missed out on a three-game sweep against the same opponent for the first time since their series Yakult from June 9th to 11th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). They were unable to break through Rakuten Eagles 's starting pitcher Kish's skillful pitch with varying speeds, and the only run they could score was sacrifice fly by Yamanaka in the 7th inning with one out and runners on first and third. This was their second loss against the veteran right-hander this season, and their winning percentage dropped back to .500 after 100 games.

On the pitching side, Tajima, making his first start since the game against Lotte on July 10th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium), gave up 3 hit and 3 runs in 5 innings, suffering his 5th loss (2 wins). In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first, he gave up a two-run homer to McCusker, and in the 5th inning, with one out and a runner on third, he allowed sacrifice fly to Muneyama. "I think I was able to switch gears and pitch like myself from the 2nd inning onwards, but I regret that home run in the first inning," he said, biting his lip.