◆ 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 their first three-game sweep against the same opponent since their series Yakult from June 9th to 11th (Kyocera Dome Osaka). They were unable to break through Rakuten Eagles starter Kishida's pitch technique, which varied in speed and intensity, 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 41-year-old right-hander this season, and manager Mamoru Kishida expressed his admiration, saying, "His pitching, whether it's the location, height, speed, the strength of fastball, or even his curveballs, which he throws perfectly from a 2-0 count. To be able to play at that age, I think it's truly pitch."

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 gave up sacrifice fly to Muneyama. The manager gave him a passing grade for his pitching, which was centered around a fastball that reached a maximum speed of 148 km/h, saying, "There was one home run, but I think pitch were good. Ishikawa's calling was also good. I think he's swinging his arm well. He can actually throw that fast, and I think that was evident today as well."

After 100 games this season, their winning percentage has dropped back to 50%. Manager Kishida remained optimistic, saying, "We'll keep trying our best. We were closer today, but I think our pitcher are improving, and hitter are fighting hard. We're scoring runs when it matters most. If we can keep everything clicking, I think we can definitely go on a winning streak."