On August 7th at 18:00, the 18th round match between Saitama Seibu Lions and Fukuoka Softbank will be held on Belluna Dome.

[Head-to-head Record] Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place) vs Fukuoka Softbank (1st place) 9 wins, 8 losses

[Announced Starting Lineup]
Saitama Seibu Lions: Kosei Takahashi pitcher 13 games, 8 wins, 5 losses, ERA 2.51 (3rd place)
Fukuoka Softbank: Haru Matsumoto pitcher 14 games, 6 wins, 2 losses, ERA 3.54

Saitama Seibu Lions is scheduled to start Mitsunari Takahashi pitcher. In his previous appearance (July 26, against Fukuoka Softbank), although he did not earn a win, he managed to secure the game with 4 hit, 4 Walk 3 runs in the 8th inning. Mitsunari Takahashi pitcher ran through the first half of the season with the league's third-place ERA. Especially in the Fukuoka Softbank game, he has a record of 4 wins and 1 loss over 5 games, with a ERA of 1.13. Can he demonstrate good chemistry in this game as well?

Fukuoka Softbank 's starting pitcher was Haru Matsumoto pitcher. In his last appearance (July 23, Orix Buffaloes), he pitched 5 innings with 89 pitches, 3 hit, 3 walks Hit by Pitch 4 strike out 2 runs. Despite his poor control, he showed tenacity. Haru Matsumoto pitcher has been on a four-game winning streak since Game Hokkaido Nippon-Ham on May 23. There was a 14-day break in this match, but I want to lead the team to win pitch and take the lead.

Text by Aoi Nemoto