◇ Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Ham Fighters, August 28: Ainosuke Kataoka performs "Kabuki" on ground before the game.

On Friday, August 28th, before their game against Chiba Lotte Marines Marines, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will have a performance of Kabuki, a traditional Japanese art form and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, ground.

The performer will be Kataoka Ainosuke, a Kabuki actor who is also active in television and film. He will perform "Renjishi," a representative work of Kabuki and Japanese dance, together with Fujima Yasushi. In addition, Kataoka Ainosuke is scheduled to try his hand at first baseman for the first time.

◇The highly anticipated second series of Tohoku Rakuten Eagles 's "Maeken the Artist" merchandise is finally here!

Despite being a professional baseball player, Rakuten Eagles Rakuten's Kenta Maeda has captivated many fans with his exceptional artistic talent, earning him the nickname "Master Painter." Following the first series of "Master Painter Maeken" merchandise released in March, which received a great response, the highly anticipated second series is now available.

For the second collection, at the artist's request, a new illustration of a golden eagle was created to match polo shirts that players can wear when traveling with the team during the summer. In addition, T-shirts, towels, tote bags, and other items are planned to be released, just like in the first collection.

The second wave of merchandise will go on sale from August 11th (Tuesday, national holiday) at Rakuten Eagles Goods Shop Stadium Store Team Shop and S-PAL Sendai Store, as well as the online shop. In addition, Rakuten Eagles official YouTube channel has released a video showing "Maeken the Artist" creating illustrations for the second wave of merchandise.

◇Tohoku Rakuten's 'Starry Sky Pikachu' will be visiting on Rakuten Eagles 11th.

Rakuten Eagles have announced that on August 11th (Tuesday, national holiday), during their game against Orix Buffaloes, as part of the "Summer Stadium! STARLIGHT GALAXY" event, Hoshizora Pikachu, the guide from the special exhibition "Pokémon Observatory" currently being held at Kakuda Denen Hall, will be making an appearance. On that day, there will be a photo session with Hoshizora Pikachu, and he is also scheduled to appear on the field, including during the "Rakuten Eagles Slacky 7 Supported by Seven-Eleven" event.

◇ Chiba Lotte Marines to move up the start time of some games as a measure against the heat

Chiba Lotte Marines will move the start time of some of their farm team regular season games held at Lotte Urawa Baseball Stadium forward from 12:00 to 10:30 to mitigate the effects of the heat.

▼Target Matches▼
- August 11th (Tuesday) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
・August 12th (Wed) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
- August 25th (Tuesday) vs. Yokohama DeNA
- August 26th (Wed) vs. Yokohama DeNA
- August 27th (Thursday) vs. Yokohama DeNA
- August 29th (Saturday) vs. Tokyo Yakult
- August 30th (Sunday) vs. Tokyo Yakult

◇ Chiba Lotte Marines donates relief funds to support areas affected by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake.

Chiba Lotte Marines announced that they will donate 2 million yen in relief funds to Kumamoto Prefecture to support the areas affected by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake. The donation will consist of 1 million yen from the team and 1 million yen from Chiba Lotte Marines Players Association.

Additionally, donation boxes have been set up inside Zozo Marine Stadium for five days, August 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th, to collect relief funds from attendees. These donations, along with contributions from the team and Chiba Lotte Marines Players' Association, will be donated to Kumamoto Prefecture.

On August 4th, 29 players participated in fundraising activities. For about 30 minutes after the end of pre-game practice, the players greeted visitors with donation boxes, expressing their gratitude to each person who contributed. Approximately 500 people contributed that day. pitcher Koshiro Hiroike, who also participated in the fundraising activities on August 4th, spoke about his feelings for Kumamoto, where he spent four years during his university days.

▼Comments pitcher Hiroike▼
"Kumamoto, where I spent my four years at university, is a special place for me. I know people and juniors who were affected by the disaster, and I sincerely hope that it will recover and be rebuilt as soon as possible. I hope that this fundraising will be of some help to those affected by the disaster. I am truly grateful that so many fans have cooperated in this fundraising effort. There is only so much I can do, but I would be happy if I could bring even a little bit of energy and courage to people by showing them my spirited play on mound."

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