◆ Seibu Lions Pacific League: Seibu vs. Softbank Hawks (7th, Belluna Dome)

Seibu Lions The team lost the first game of a three-game series against the first-place Softbank Hawks, widening the gap to 8.5 games, and fell to third place after the Nippon-Ham defeated the walk-off. The bullpen struggled, and the relief pitchers were overpowered by the Softbank Hawks lineup starting in the seventh inning. Takeya Nakamura infielder (42), making his first appearance after being called up for the first time this season, finished with 4 At Bat no-hit and 2 struck out.

Seibu Lions 's starting pitcher Kosei Takahashi (29). In addition, Takeshi Nakamura, who was promoted to the first team for the first time this season, was in starting line-up as the "number 4 hitter and DH," and the team assembled a powerful lineup with foreign players Canario, An-Ko Lin and Nevin batting in the leadoff spot.

In the first inning, Hikaru Takahashi got leadoff hitter Masaki to take an inside sweeper for a called strike struck out. With two outs, he allowed Kondo to single to right field hit, but with two outs and a runner on first, he induced a swinging strike struck out from Kurihara—his All-Star battery mate—with a 155-kilometer fastball.

In the second inning, he gave up a single to Yanagida, the leadoff hit, but retired the next batters to keep the score at runs. In the third inning, with two outs, he allowed infield hit to Shuto to first base, but then got Kondo to ground out to second base.

Neither team managed to get three up, three down through the third inning, but neither scored. In the fourth inning, after Walk the leadoff batter Kurihara, the pitcher threw five consecutive sweepers to Yamamoto Yu with two outs and a runner on second base, but he gave up a timely doble down the left field line, conceding the first run.

In the fifth inning, the team recorded its first three-up, three-down inning of the game. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning, battery partner Tsuge hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field just inside the foul pole, tying the game. Tsuge commented, "Mitsunari (Takahashi) has been doing his best, so I really wanted to get the win for him when I stepped up to the plate. The ball went at a good angle, and I'm glad we were able to tie the game."

In the tied sixth inning, he gave leadoff runner Kondo a Walk, but with one out and a runner on first, he got Yanagida out on a grounder to shortstop double play and showed his emotions by hitting his glove. Hikaru Takahashi threw 98 pitches over six innings, pitching 4 hit 1 runs but missed out on his ninth win and was pulled. In the sixth inning with one out, Tsuyoshi Nakamura swung and struck out missed on three pitches. He finished with three At Bat and no hit before Haru Matsumoto.

In the 7th inning, with the score tied 1-1, Moriwaki came in as the second pitcher. However, this pitching change backfired. He allowed infield hit to the leadoff batter, Makihara Dai, and then fielder’s choice and a bunt put runners on second and third with one out. Then, pinch hitter Yanagimachi hit a two-run triple to left-center field, giving the opposing team the lead.

The offense was also silenced in the 7th inning, with three consecutive struck out resulting in three up, three down. They were closer by Softbank Hawks 's starting left-hander Haru Matsumoto, managing only three hit and one struck out while striking out nine times in seven innings. In the 7th inning, the third left-hander, Sato Hayato, gave up a two-run triple to Yamamoto Yu with two outs and runners on first and third, extending the lead to four runs.

In the eighth inning, trailing by four runs, the leadoff right-hander Yutaka Matsumoto reached base with a leadoff hit to left, and An-Ko Lin timely doble to right-center field. He created another chance with runners on second and third with one out, but Tsuyoshi Nakamura swung struck out for the second consecutive three-pitch struck out, and Watanabe also fell to struck out swing.