◆ Pacific League Seibu Lions 1-3 Orix Buffaloes (20th, Belluna Dome)

Seibu Lions was unable to overcome opposing starting pitcher Espinoza, against whom they closer a 0-3 record in four previous games this season, in their fifth encounter, ending their winning streak at three games. They were unable to achieve their first four-game winning streak of the second half of the season.

In his first appearance in a first-team game this season, third-year high school graduate left-handed pitcher Haruki Sugiyama pitched a tenacious game, giving up 5 hit 2 runs (1 earned) over 5 innings, but was not given enough run support to secure his first professional win.

In the second inning, with the score tied at 0-0 and one out and a runner on third, Nakagawa gave up the first run on a single to left field sacrifice fly. In the third inning, after his team had tied the game, he put his team in a jam with two outs and runners on first and second—partly due to a team error—and then allowed Ota to hit an RBI single to right field doble.

In the second inning, with two outs and a runner on second, Takayoshi Yamamura infielder hit a timely doble that broke through the right field line to tie the game. However, in the 3rd and 5th innings, they retired three consecutive inning in order, and after that, they were unable to break down the opposing starter, Espinoza, even in their fifth encounter this season.