The 19th game between Hokkaido Nippon-Ham and Fukuoka Softbank will be held at ES CON FIELD on August 19th at 2 PM.

[Head-to-head record] Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (3rd place) vs. Fukuoka Softbank (1st place): 3 wins, 15 losses

[Announced Starting Pitcher]
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham: Haruki Hosono pitcher 11 games, 3 wins, 5 losses, ERA 2.86
Fukuoka Softbank: Naoyuki Uwasawa pitcher 15 games, 7 wins, 4 losses, 2.49 ERA

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham-Ham pitcher Haruki Hosono will start after 12 days of rest. In his last start on August 6 against Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, he allowed 3 hit and 2 RBI to Taisei Makihara, but he managed to limit the damage to 6 hits, 3 walks/hit hit, 7 Hit by Pitch, strike out 2 runs over 6 innings, leading his team to a come-from-behind win. The Hawks' offense has been in good form, recording double-digit hit in 3 consecutive games, but Hosono will be looking to shut them down with a tenacious pitch.

Fukuoka Softbank 's scheduled starting pitcher is Naoyuki Uwasawa, who is currently on a two-game winning streak. In August, Yuta Yamamoto has been paired with pitcher as his battery mate for two consecutive starts. Yamamoto, who joined Fukuoka Softbank midway through the season, underwent surgery to remove the hook of his left hamate bone on June 12th and was sidelined, but returned to the first team on July 22nd. In August, he has been in good form with a monthly batting average of .394 (13 At Bat 33 hit), and has recorded hit in three consecutive games. It will be interesting to see if Yamamoto will be paired with Uwasawa as his battery pitcher for the third consecutive game, and whether he can contribute with his batting as well.

Text by Ayako Kikuchi