Pacific League: Orix Buffaloes vs. Rakuten Eagles (25th, Kyocera Dome Osaka)

Orix Buffaloes Shuna Hori catcher joined the first team on the 25th. He joined Hyogo Hotoku Gakuen as the 4th pick in the 2023 draft, and in his third year as a pro, he played in 54 games in the farm league this season. He posted strong numbers with a batting average of .370, 1.03 Home Run, and 17 RBI.

He had been promoted to the first team twice so far this season, but had no opportunities to play. On the 24th, the previous day, Fukunaga was removed from the active roster, and with Moritomo also absent from the catcher corps, an opportunity seems likely to come for the 21-year-old promising prospect.