The 19th game between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and the Saitama Seibu Lions will be held at ES CON FIELD on August 12th at 6 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place): 8 wins, 10 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: pitcher Koki Kitayama 17 games, 9 wins (tied for 4th place), 3 losses, ERA 2.33
Saitama Seibu Lions: Yutaro Watanabe pitcher 16 games, 4 wins, 6 losses, 3.33 ERA

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham are aiming to reclaim second place with pitcher Koki Kitayama. In his last away appearance (on the 5th against Fukuoka Softbank Hawks), he gave up 5 runs (3 earned runs) in 2 innings, failing to fulfill his role. Nevertheless, in the first half of the season, he has made 8 appearances at their home stadium, ES CON FIELD, and has posted a good record of 4 wins and 1 loss with ERA of 1.68, including two shutout game win. We hope that pitcher will deliver a strong performance in his first home game of the second half of the season, which could lead to his first double-digit win.

Furthermore, in both the low-scoring games on the 9th and 11th, it was Ryota Isobata who recorded the team's first hit. Can he play a key role in creating scoring opportunities from the start?

Facing him is Saitama Seibu Lions 's pitcher Yutaro Watanabe is currently on a three-game losing streak. He will take mound aiming for his first win since June 21st. In his last start, he pitched well against Orix Buffaloes, throwing 104 pitches over 6 innings, allowing 6 hit 2 Walk, strike out 3, and giving up only 1 runs. In this game, his first start in 10 days, can he lead his team to their first series win in three series with a tenacious pitch?

In the batting lineup, expectations are high for Yuto Koga who has formed a battery with the team in 12 games this season. At ES CON FIELD, he has recorded a batting average of .333 in 8 games and has a good record against pitcher Kitayama, with 3 At Bat hit season.

Written by Ao Yokoyama