The 18th game between the Saitama Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines will be held at Belluna Dome on August 15th at 5 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place) vs. Chiba Lotte Marines (5th place): 9 wins, 8 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Saitama Seibu Lions: pitcher Chihiro Sumida 17 games, 7 wins, 6 losses, ERA 2.55
Chiba Lotte Marines: pitcher Jackson, 19 games, 8 wins, 7 losses, 3.22 ERA

On the 14th, the Saitama Seibu Lions saw the return of Manaya Nishikawa to the first team after he had been sidelined with a left knee injury. He starting line-up as the sixth batter and center fielder, and in his second at-bat, he hit a timely triple to right-center field. He has been struggling this season with a batting average in the low .200s, but in July he posted a batting average of .262, showing signs of gradual recovery. Will he be able to provide support for pitcher Chihiro Sumida who is aiming for win in a month?

Chiba Lotte Marines 's starting pitcher will be Jackson. In his last start against Orix Buffaloes, he pitched brilliantly, allowing only 4 hit 3 Hit by Pitch over 7 innings without runs, earning his 8th win of the season. He has a 0-0 record against Saitama Seibu Lions this season, but will he be able to deliver a win pitch? In the previous day's game, second-year player Yu Tatematsu, who was called up for the first time this season, got his first professional hit. Keep an eye on the young players' contributions and performances in this game as well.

Written by Kai Nagi Niwa