◆ Pacific League Softbank Hawks 4-6 Rakuten Eagles (15th, Mizuho PayPay Stadium)

Softbank Hawks Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo announced after the game that he would be removing pitcher Taiga Kamichatani and catcher Riku Watanabe from the active roster.

Kamichatani had been paired with Watanabe as his battery partner in all four games since his first start of the season on July 16 against Nippon-Ham (at Escon Stadium). While catcher corps also included Yamamoto Yu and Umino, the two had achieved a 3-0 record in those four games. However, on this day, they were hit hard by Rakuten Eagles lineup, giving up 6 runs in 7 innings. Kamichatani's winning streak from the start of the season also came to an end at 7 games.

Watanabe hit his first home run of the season in the third inning with one out, temporarily tying the game. It was his first Rakuten Eagles run since July 5, 2022, against Rakuten (in Hirosaki), and he made his presence felt, but manager Kokubo said, "We're removing him from the roster. He was doing well as part of a combination with Kamichatani," and also cited the irregular schedule as one of the reasons for removing Kamichatani, saying, "There are no games next week (6 games)."