Starting at 4:00 PM on August 2, the 17th match between Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Fukuoka Softbank will take place at Rakuten Eagles Mobile’s “Strongest Park Miyagi.”

[Head-to-Head Record] Tohoku Rakuten Eagles (6th place) vs. Fukuoka Softbank (1st place): 7 wins, 9 losses

[Announced Starting Pitchers]
Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: Tatsuki Koja pitcher 1 win, 6 losses in 12 games; ERA, 4.10
Fukuoka Softbank: Yugo Maeda pitcher 11 games, 8 wins, 0 losses, ERA 1.41

Tohoku’s Rakuten Eagles will start, Tatsuki Koja pitcher. In their previous matchup on July 12, he pitched 6 innings, threw 93 pitches, allowed 6 hit 1 Walk 6 strike out 3 runs, and earned a quality start (QS), but suffered a loss due to a lack of run support. He aims to fulfill his role as the starter and secure his first win since May 16. On the offensive side, Daisuke Nakashima a player has recorded multiple hit in two consecutive games.

Facing them Fukuoka Softbank is Yugo Maeda pitcher will take the mound. He finished the first half of the season in top form, going 3-0 with a ERA of 0.33 in four July starts. He also has a strong track record against the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles, having made two starts against them with a 1-0 record and a ERA of 0.90. Can he extend his winning streak even further? Meanwhile, in the lineup, Yuki Yanagita players continued their strong form in the second half, with 3 hit 1 RBI in the previous day’s game.

Text by Harukazu Sonoda