Starting at 6:00 PM on August 13, the 20th game of the season between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Saitama Seibu Lions will be held at ES CON FIELD.

[Head-to-Head Record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place) vs. Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place): 8 wins, 11 losses, 0 ties

[Announced Starting Pitchers]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Fukuya Yamazaki pitcher (12 games, 4 wins, 0 losses; ERA ERA 2.45)
Saitama Seibu Lions: Winans pitcher 7 games, 2 wins, 3 losses, ERA 4.19

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fukuya Yamazaki pitcher will start. In his last first-team start (July 26 vs. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles), he pitched 5 innings, threw 79 pitches, with 3 hit, 3 walks Hit by Pitch, and 1 runs, effectively managing the game to earn the win. Can he lead the team to win with another strong performance in this game?On the offensive side, keep an eye on Kotaro Kiyomiya. While his form has dipped slightly so far in August with a monthly batting average of .227, he’ll be looking to bounce back from here.

Facing them, Saitama’s Seibu Lions starter is Wainans pitcher. In his last start in the farm league (August 5 against Hanshin Tigers), he delivered a strong performance over 6 innings, throwing 92 pitches with 5 hit, 1 walk Hit by Pitch, 8 strike out, and 2 runs.Will ES CON FIELD, who recorded his first win in Japan, be able to show his true potential in the mound? Also, keep an eye on the , who hit a Home Run off Fukuya Yamazaki pitcher in the same series on July 11 Takayoshi Yamamura is also one to watch.

Text by Ryo Aritake