On August 20th at 18:00, the 20th round match between Saitama Seibu Lions and Orix Buffaloes will be held on Belluna Dome.

[Head-to-head Record] Saitama Seibu Lions (2nd place) vs. Orix Buffaloes (4th place) 9 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw

[Announced Starting Lineup]
Saitama Seibu Lions: Haruki Sugiyama pitcher 16 games, 10 wins, 5 losses, ERA 2.48 (farm team record)
Orix Buffaloes: Espinoza pitcher 17 matches, 10 wins (tied for 2nd), 4 losses, ERA 2.56

Saitama Seibu Lions Haruki Sugiyama pitcher, a third-year high school graduate, made his first appearance and first start of the season. In his last minor league appearance (on the 9th), he pitched 5 innings, 3 hit, 2 Walk, and no runs, earning his third consecutive win. In the past two seasons, he has started one game each but has yet to record a win. Will this be his first professional win?

Orix Buffaloes Starting pitcher Espinoza pitcher gave up two home runs in his previous appearance (against Tohoku Rakuten Eagles on the 12th), and went 5.0 innings, 7 hit 1 Walk 5 runs for his fourth loss. However, this season against Saitama Seibu Lions, he has a good record of 3 wins and 0 losses over 4 games, with a ERA of 1.93. In their previous game on July 5, he also earned a win with 1 runs over 7 innings.