◆ Pacific League: Lotte 4-0 Orix Buffaloes (August 8, ZOZO Marine Stadium)

Orix Buffaloes lost a close game to Lotte, dropping their winning percentage back to .500 in just one day. In the 7th inning with two outs and runners on first and second base, Tomoya Mori, who was celebrating his 31st birthday, came up to bat as a pinch hitter but flied out to center field.

Starting pitcher Soya gave up 5 hit and 4 runs in 5 innings, suffering his fourth loss of the season. In the first inning, with no outs and doble on first and second, he gave up a 2-run double to Yasuda to right-center field, and then with two outs and a runner on third, he surrendered a 2-run homer to Soto to left field.

He prioritized conditioning, including his left elbow, and did not pitch after the Yakult game on June 10 (Kyocera Dome Osaka). He couldn't get his fifth win in mound starting after two months, and said, "I think I was able to adjust with each inning. Because of that, I wanted to keep pitching with some effort in the first inning. I wanted to build a good rhythm from defense, but I'm sorry," he said, showing his frustration.